Loving You
by MoonExpressions
Summary: Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.
1. Natural Prodigy

A/N: It's been a very long time to me since I've written a fun, light-hearted fic for everyone so in this fic we re-enter school and get to enjoy the lovable natures of all the characters. The drama I'll tone down in this fic so just enjoy the scenes, predictable or not, I may even play with cliché scene that I've seen done a million times in here with my own twist of course XD

It's my 7th anniversary! I can't believe it's been this long already but it has :)

I'm happy to have come all this way with all of you faithful reviewers who stuck through the thick and thin with me. This mass update is for all of you as a thank you.

Thank you again and Read/Review for me as usual!

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch I: Natural Prodigy**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Japan**_

"Hn…"

No other comment was made even as the principal continued to preen and boast about the percentage of students that graduated and the superiority of his establishment compared to other schools that catered only to parents.

The dark green mass of hair lifted slightly as the winds picked up but the sixteen year old boy didn't care if a typhoon decided to hit at the moment. When he had mentioned to his parents and grandfather that his life was boring him; he didn't expect them to lay out pamphlets of private high schools around Japan for the rich and mighty telling him to choose one to bide his time. He was thinking maybe they'd climb out of his hair, let him take a nice long vacation to some sunny place and let him be.

Definitely NOT the same vision his elders shared.

He had entered the family company early striving to be like his brother. He didn't need to go through elementary nor junior high at all because he hadn't felt the need to make "friends" outside of his childhood ones he grew up with and his parents didn't think it was a requirement since he had private tutors and was advancing like a little prodigy anyways.

"_Maybe you'll make friends there and business associates for the business like your brother did at his high school."_

His mother had sweetly told him that to lessen his rebuttal about not wanting to go kill time at such a place. Despite how much he looked up to his older brother, he hadn't wanted to attend school, a place he avoided all his life… till now.

"_Maybe you'll find your future bride seishounen!"_

His father had jokingly said since Ryoga had found and married his bride when he went to school. But Ryoma wasn't looking too forward to that. He was starting to think that he might be asexual since he wasn't particularly joyous over being married. Play he could do, charm he could do even better when it suited him but forever, no.

"_The degrees you get will make you look more prestigious Ryoma."_

His grandfather had inserted that into the long winded reasons why they thought best to ship him to an elite BOARDING school. He'd learn something, he'd do something, and he'd start to MISS them. The reasons went on but Ryoma had already known they weren't going to let him out once they had him in the hole and even the help he called had turned against him.

"_You'll like it Chibisuke! It might take a while but it'll be an experience you won't ever forget. When you get there, you look hard for the one you want to be with because it beats sitting around here and getting arranged by mom and her friends."_

So his brother had said but he hadn't minded that he had someone just waiting to dig her claws into his coffers because he was going to have lots and lots of it to use. Then again when they all decided to quadruple team him, he figured it all out as well. Fine! He'd get out of their hairs for a while since his brother was still honeymooning even though they had been married for half a year now and his parents were re-entering that stage. But he wasn't going down without having some fun. So he did his research in the school, found he could take along two to three servants if needed and decided on the two he would take.

They had gone on to use "love" as an excuse for doing what they did for Ryoma but he wasn't fooled by it. It was just reaching to the point where Ryoma was working too hard in his mother's eyes, too blunt and sarcastic of moods to hang with his grandpa, too bratty for his dad's leisure tennis matches they had every week and bothersome on Ryoga and his precious Suri. He'd refuse to go to the school that housed his brother for his high school years and vouched for an even more prestigious one though their entrance exam was harder.

"-You are transferring in a bit later than everyone else since the school years has already started but you placed extremely high and will be able to graduate next year with our second years if you continue to do so well."

"Principal," Ryoma said turning bored, gold eyes in his direction. "I'd like to NOT announce who I am for the sake that I like my privacy so everyone will therefore refer to me as Echizen Ry instead."

"But how- Take-"The Principal sputtered trying to make sense of the request. Never in his years has he heard a student request to keep his family under wraps instead of flaunting it like all the other little brats here. Better yet, this boy was not just prestigious; he was from a well respected family.

"Principal, before I even stepped through these doors, you had no idea Takeuchi Takahiro even had a grandson my age." Ryoma stated in his blunt, business tone. "Our family hides more than reveals more due to lack of privacy with the lifestyle. My brother wasn't even known until he officially joined the company last year as the heir to the Takeuchi fortune."

"But the students would treat you better if-"

"Honestly Ry-sama doesn't care if the students treat him better or not," The young man following Ryoma said with a small smile.

The Principal merely swallowed and nodded his approval then. He had felt as if he was under speculation ever since the good looking youth walked into his office this morning asking for enrollment. Though he walked without a care in the world, his suit was custom-tailored to a trained eye and the way he walked commanded respect and obedience.

The people that followed him didn't make him feel easier either. The young man who followed behind the young master was no doubt the butler. He was dressed all in black suit showing a bit of a white shirt underneath with no crest to show which family he belonged to. It was probably for the same reason that the young master was being secretive about his origin. Yet nothing could hide that he was a good-looking man himself with coal black eyes and jet black hair. Even his impressive height above the young master by a couple inches gave him a look of dignity.

The young lady beside them both could've been a refined young lady as well if not for her maid uniform and hair pulled back in a no nonsense bun. The glasses that perched on her delicate nose gave her certain seriousness as well. Her grey-blue eyes held a tint of wisdom yet innocence as well.

"It is as KAi says," Ryoma said with a slight smile and looked back at the boarding rooms. "So, which one is mine since I'm sure the rest of my servants are tired of waiting to unload my stuff and leave."

"Yes, of course." The principal said snapping out of his awe for them. "I'll have them assign you a decent size room since the bigger ones is already taken and so forth."

"It's doesn't matter as long as there is three bedrooms and a bathroom connected." Ryoma said with a sigh. "Come on Kai, Shizuka."

Both followed walking as if they were far beyond their station and the principal wondered slightly as he signaled his secretary forward. Were all servants in the Takeuchi household trained to be that proper?

xXx

**Dorm Room**

"Why don't you go get comfortable first Shizuka," Ryoma said dropping onto his bed. As he watched the Takeuchi servants work their magic for his smallish room.

"You should be able to get a bigger room in the upper stories young master," the elder butler said as he oversaw the changing of the room.

"It's fine as it is," Ryoma said through a yawn to his grandfather's butler. "Don't let them worry about it. After all they told me to take it how I like it."

"I honestly don't think you know the first thing looking after the young master but you are his choice." The elder butler said with a sigh as Kai walked into the room with Ryoma's personal luggage.

"Don't be such a worrywart Maxwell," Kai said with a smug smirk. "I'll just do what you do since we've known each other for years."

"I'm sure each time you weren't paying attention to properly care for young masters and guests either." The elder said with a disapproving look. 'You'll get you just desserts."

"I hope it's good," Kai said with a grin before turning to Ryoma. "So? Remind me why you have to have a maid as well? Do you not trust me to care for you?"

"Shizuka is useful to me." Ryoma said getting up to stand by the window. It seemed some of the kids were out of class already since they were moving back towards the dorm and others were headed elsewhere.

"Yeah, good and all but how come I have never met her before?"

"Since when did I have to consult you if I want a maid out of the usual staff at home?" Ryoma questioned with a raised brow at Kai.

"Don't give me the authoritative look Ryoma, we grew up together." Kai said with a slight frown.

"Pfft," Ryoma let out as he turned his head to the maids and footmen's running back and forth bringing in his favorite books, to his small wardrobe since this school did have uniforms. He inspected the tablecloths they laid out to remind him of home and turned his bed for him before each bowed and left.

"Thank you Maxwell, tell Oji not to worry and the others not to miss me too much since they brought this upon themselves." Ryoma said with a dismissive smile.

"Very well young master," Maxwell said with a bow. "And IF you need to have your butler replaced, call anytime I will find a substitute immediately."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ryoma said with a suppressed smile as he saw the sour look Kai gave Maxwell from behind.

As chaotic as it had been just a little over an hour ago, everything settled as the three footmen, Maxwell and two maids left and all that was left was Shizuka and Kai with him.

"Tomorrow will be an exciting, boring regular day." Ryoma predicted as he viewed his uniform all pressed and ready to be worn tomorrow.

"Shall we say peaceful maybe?" Kai asked as he poured all three of them tea. Ryoma had stressed within the bedroom they were to be informal unlike everywhere else in the school and dorm.

"Hopefully," Ryoma said taking his tea as he smiled at Shizuka and Kai. There were going to be a great number of secrets but it didn't matter to Ryoma as long as it was going to be enjoyable on his terms.

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A/N: Hopefully this story has sparked some interest so leave a quick review on how you like it so far and that will determine how enthusiastic I will be about bringing this story to all of you.


	2. A NotSoPerfect School Life

A/N: This is my VERY LAST update before my trip. Heading out early tomorrow to enjoy a week's rest so enjoy, review and I will update when I return.

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Ochibisakuya- It's fine that you can't always review but shoot me a PM once in a while to remind me someone cares if I disappear and never come back to finish these stories. Ryoma will be all that and more here since he was groomed to be.

MARYLOVER – A test in the water was all I gave really but I do love doing that when possible. Ryoma will try to have his fun and the rest can either follow or find out who he thinks he is. Ryoma will be getting to keep his two servants there and we'll get to see a couple OC's who serve familiar faces at the school too.

YourBiggestFan– I will definitely continue this story since I just started it. Like I said in my profile, If I'm lagging, that's either between I'm too busy to focus on my hobby or I'm not feeling inspired enough to attempt a chapter. Demand it with a PM or review and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

KiTtEn18sMiLe –Ryoma is being Ryoma we'll say so it'll always make for an interesting story with the two of them going head to head.

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch II: A Not-So-Perfect School Life**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Japan**_

"Ry- sama!"

"Uresai yo….(shut up)" Ryoma mumbled as he rolled over onto his stomach. He was just burying his head back into his fluffy pillow in contentment when the blanket flew off the bed and the cold, chilly air touched him swiftly. Gold, disorientated eyes snapped open as he turned his head to face the culprit.

"Kai!"

"You're going to be late for your first class if you don't hurry and get up." Kai said with a slightly sadistic smile as he disregarded the fact that Ryoma slept naked and his lean body was slightly shivering now from the cool breeze floating in through the window.

"You ass…" Ryoma muttered but he sat up nonetheless and felt his robe land on his shoulders. With a yawn, Ryoma stuffed his feet into his slippers and turned just as the door opened to reveal Shizuka carrying in his breakfast.

"Morning Ryoma…" Shizuka said ignoring the fact that Ryoma robe was tied loosely and it showed his defined chest and muscular legs from tennis. She was quite used to seeing him always half undressed if anything.

"Morning Shizu-chan…" Ryoma mumbled out as he sat down at the table and Kai poured him some tea.

"You're up earlier than usual Ryoma…" Shizuka said with a slight smile as she arranged his breakfast in front of him. "Class doesn't even start for another hour."

"Hn…" Ryoma uttered with a murderous glare towards Kai. "Some idiot who serves me swore I was going to be late if I didn't get up."

Shizuka merely smiled as she walked away from the table to tidy up Ryoma's rumpled bed that he had risen from. She smoothed out the sheets as she listened to the conversation that was transpiring at the table. It seemed they were going to have an interesting day since she had heard from the maids she had met when going down for Ryoma's breakfast that everyone was required to greet the new student together in the assembly hall. She hadn't yet mentioned that small fact to Ryoma but he had wanted to go about his school life in mystery do mystery he shall have.

"Shizuka… don't you want any breakfast?" Ryoma asked craning his head to look at her from where he sat eating his European breakfast.

"Kai-san and I will be dining with the rest of the students' servants when you attend class." Shizuka said briskly as she headed to the closet to pull out Ryoma uniform.

"Sou…" Ryoma said turning back to help himself to his meal. Preferably, he'd have wanted his Japanese styled breakfast but he'd put it up to whomever was in charge of the food later. Tightening his robe around himself, Ryoma studied his room to give himself something to do as he chewed and eat.

He was determined to "blend in" enough with the students. Then again, he'd do it his way with his own style so it'd be an experience all right. Swallowing the last of his pancakes, he stood and headed to the bathroom to get ready. He was ready to see the "fish" in the ocean as his brother and father put it, he was ready to judge the intelligence of his instructors to see if they'd make him any more prestigious and an intellectual being then he already was and last but not least, he was ready to judge the peers of his intellectual level or the ones born into the money and station.

"Well… you're not going to look any better than that." Kai said with a smirk as he viewed Ryoma from the doorway from his bedroom.

"First impressions are important," Ryoma proclaimed in his closest tone to his grandfather's.

"Well I say you got the walk and talk of a know-it-all rich kid down all right." Kai said with a widening grin. "Let's get going before you're really late."

"Don't think I'll NOT tell Maxwell about your way to awaken me," Ryoma said in his most snotty tone though his eyes crinkled slightly in amusement and a grin was present instead of a frown.

"Shall we Shizu-chan?" Ryoma asked coming out of the bathroom to pass her inspection.

Shizuka looked up from her task of clearing the table of Ryoma's breakfast and eyed him carefully. The uniform did nothing but enhance his attractiveness in Shizuka's opinion. He was already a strikingly good-looking person to begin with when she first met him and now was no different if not better. His golden eyes framed his aristocratic face well and his toned body from years of tennis and light working out enhanced the overall look of his uniform on him.

"The black slacks look good on me," Ryoma said with a slow seductive smile to Shizuka.

"Since when did it not since you've been wearing them more than half your life." Shizuka stated with a haughty brow raised.

"Acting the princess is not amusing." Ryoma said with a slight frown at Shizuka.

"Saying the obvious won't get a compliment from me either Ryoma." Shizuka stated with a smile of her own.

"Che…" Ryoma uttered as he turned to the mirror.

"Your uniform isn't complete unless you tighten that black tie and put on your black jacket." Shizuka reminded him.

"Mou Shizuka," Ryoma started with a sigh. "I already have to be prim and proper with Oji. Now that I'm away from them I can dress how I like."

"And here I thought you wanted to fit in and not bring attention to yourself." Shizuka said through a sigh and Ryoma groaned.

Sometimes Shizuka was too much of smarty pants for her own good.

"Out you go or else the principal won't have anyone to show to your homeroom teacher and classmates." Shizuka said grabbing Ryoma's jacket that he left slung over a chair and walked towards him. She rolled her eyes slightly as Ryoma put on his best haughty face and extended his hand out as if he'd never dressed himself before and would need this assistance daily.

"Really Ryoma?" Shizuka asked though she slipped it on him and started to fix his collar and tie for him willingly.

"Why not? It'll give you a job." Ryoma said with a grin as he placed his arms around her waist lovingly.

"Flirting with the maid is NOT done Ry-sama," Kai said in his haughty "Maxwell" tone and even lifted his head and frowned the way Maxwell did when he didn't approve of something.

"Whatever, grab my bag and let's go "mingle" with the people." Ryoma said letting Shizuka go to walk out of his room. It seemed the students and their servants were already gone to morning assembly.

"We're late aren't we?" Kai asked.

"Not at all," Shizuka said with indifference. "If you were listening to the principal yesterday, you would've known that Ryoma is not expected to attend the morning assembly this morning and will be formally introduced in class as if he was just another scholarship student and not the prestigious heir to an enormous fortune."

"Why are women's so bothersome?" Kai uttered.

"Why are men so oblivious?" Shizuka asked with a sigh to no one in particular.

"Why are my servants so contemptuous?" Ryoma asked not bothering to slow his pace or look at the two of them.

"Just try to be smart again with me Ryoma," Shizuka said nonchalantly in Chinese.

"I agree," Kai agreed in kind.

"Why don't we all play our roles and disregard the rest?" Ryoma suggested making his way downstairs now. He looked over the railing to the ground floor to see if there was anything of interests besides the two bickering behind him and spotted no one. It seemed everyone here was serious about school and not one missed out on morning assembly it seemed.

Ryoma wondered if he could keep this up when he liked to sleep a little too much in the morning… something his grandfather said was one of his worst vice as a businessman. With a sigh he headed towards the main building and braced himself… for the spoiled, the knowledgeable and domineering people he was sure he'd meet.

XxX

**Homeroom**

"No one is here yet but your teacher will join you shortly." The principal informed Ryoma.

Ryoma nodded and dismissed him wordlessly while he looked at the room. He had to admit he was slightly impressed by the room's décor. It wasn't plain as most school rooms were but had drapes on the four windows in the room, each student had a half sized office desk and a leather chair facing the front of the room where the teacher's desk faced them and a projector connected to a computer. It seemed the school knew how to use the latest technology to school the children here.

"Impressive ne Ry-sama?" Kai asked with a slight smile.

"You can say that…" Ryoma said with a nod. "Then again, how much do you know about school when you left school early due to boredom from your vast capacity of intelligence?"

"A lot more than a child prodigy who'd rather run a company with his ingenuity than date girls and be normal." Kai said saucily.

"What is normal?" Ryoma scoffed out. "Who is to define that?"

"I would say a standard or average in personality, attitude and intelligence in the eyes of society if you ask me."

Ryoma turned his head and flicked his eyes once over the person that had walked in and spoke.

His crop of brown hair fell straight and silky against his face and the bangs that covered his forehead framed his face did its job nicely if he was trying to look riveting but what caught Ryoma's attention the most was the fact that he couldn't read the man's aura. It was a slightly irritating feeling to not know if that smile on his face was genuine or fabricated for everyone's benefit.

"And who might you be?" Ryoma asked in a pertinent voice.

XxX

Syuusuke had split from the group to head to class early and have a tête-à-tête with the teacher but today he did not expect to hear a conversation going on. To make it even more interesting was that he hadn't recognized who the people were and the look of the people standing before him.

The salient, aristocratic face of the man was captivating in the way his dark green hair draped framing yet enhancing the white skin of his face. The discerning, yet mysterious way his golden eyes stared at Syuusuke was quite fascinating down to his sensual mouth that curved slightly downward in displeasure at being listened in on. He wore the school's uniform so he had to be a student.

The other was definitely a servant but his aura and the way he stood didn't seem like it at all. He had the face of an aristocratic man from the way his eyes discerned Syuusuke immediately to the similar way HIS sensual lips formed the same slight frown as the other. Only difference was the jet black hair and the devil eyes that stared him down. He also was roughly a bit taller than Syuusuke was himself.

The third occupant perplexed him a bit as well. For one who was considered a tensai and extremely insightful, second only to Yukimura Seiichi, he found himself confused. She was dressed as the maid but her posture was straight and her expression was regal. Her pert glasses made her look serious but also framed beautiful grey-blue eyes that gently scrutinize Syuusuke in a beguiling manner. Her full lips opened slightly as she breathed shifted. She was a slight inch shorter than the dark green haired man but she was a very attractive female. Her uniform hugged her assets and long legs did little to hide what may lie underneath.

"Fuji Syuusuke… you?" Syuusuke asked with a slight smile focusing back on the question he was asked.

"Early as usual Fuji?"

All four occupants turned towards the door once more and watched as a mature woman walked into the room with a smile. She was dressed smartly in a dress suit and walked professionally towards the group.

"You must be Ayase-sensei," Ryoma said bluntly. He stepped forward and the other two moved behind him as if they were on defense.

"Yes… and you must be Echizen-kun right?" The woman asked focusing her brown eyes on his. Her voice was soft, melodious, and yet had a commanding edge to it. Her black hair was pulled up and arranged in a quick bun atop her head but one pull from her slender hand sent her hair cascading down and around her pleasing face. Her natural pouty lips pulled back in a polite smile and her brown eyes crinkled in a cute, yet beautiful way.

"That I am," Ryoma said recovering from the teacher's beauty in mere seconds. He had caught himself after watching her hair fall and collude to draw attention to the beautiful silkiness of it.

"Wonderful," She said turning away to place her bag and folders on the desk. "Then we shall have you introduced to the class shortly since everyone will be here soon."

Ryoma nodded and turned away. The teacher exuded with sexual attraction but Ryoma was well aware of it to avoid getting sucked in like a normal teenager. He had learned after being laughed at by his father and brother who were born womanizers that his mind didn't register girl behavior in his younger years so he had Kai educate him. Where he had once been clueless, he could clearly see the charms woman seem to throw upon him now. Well versed and used to it by now, Ryoma tended to take it all in stride… unless he wanted to play a bit of course.

There was no more time to think as kids started filing in and within ten minutes, all fourteen students of the class stared at him while the teacher spoke to them about welcoming him.

He had known from the handbook that classes were small; the entire school was only compromised of twelve hundred talented students. Each class only ranged from fifteen to twenty students per class. Teachers were upscale graduates from prestigious schools to teach the four hundred students that were admitted each year so he was not unaccustomed to being stared at as strange for entering three months into the school year. He just didn't like attention.

"Introduce yourself Echizen-kun." Ayase-sensei encouraged.

"Echizen Ryoma desu," Ryoma said bluntly.

"and?" Ayase –sensei prodded.

"Shizuka….Kai" Ryoma stated pointing to his side at the two beside him.

"and?" Ayase-sensei prompted again. Obviously introducing himself and his two people was not enough for her.

"Can I sit now?" Ryoma asked with a half-smile to Ayase-sensei. He made an attempt at charming her by darkening his eyes a bit and eluded some of his "Sexiness" with a capital "S" like his brother said.

It must've worked because she nodded slowly in acceptance while a couple girls in the class giggled at his bluntness.

"Ry-sama…" Shizuka said softly and he nodded noting his slip-up. He had said he wanted to blend in but he was making himself stand out by attempting to seduce the teacher to get his way and being blunt.

XxX

**Kai**

He knew Ryoma recognized a few last names as well but hadn't said anything. Then again, Ryoma worked in the shadows of the company and made decisions within the company leaving the outside work to his grandfather and brother. It seemed the true test was going to begin now since he could see some eyeing Ryoma with interest and others were staring him down.

XxX

**Break**

"What is it that your family does Echizen?"

Ryoma turned his head and recognized the Atobe heir. He had been shown pictures of the little prince but never cared to seek out the man. Ryoma had heard from others that he was arrogant, flashy and thought highly of himself. He could vouch for the person who said that now that he had experience the guy in class and face-to-face.

"Does it matter?" Ryoma asked instead as he accepted the teas that Shizuka handed him.

"Can you do anything else or are you like those scholarship students who must constantly study to keep up with ore-sama?" Atobe asked haughtily now.

It seemed he was through trying to be nice since Ryoma was being blunt.

"I can do anything better than you." Ryoma said staring him down evenly. To blend was one thing, to be looked down on was another.

"Then why don't you show me what skills you have in a basketball match this evening, E-chi-zen-kun?" Atobe said with a frown.

"Are you mad that a boy younger than you is sitting in the same class as you A-To-be-kun" Ryoma asked looking at Atobe with no fear.

"You little brat!" Atobe said with anger-filled eyes now.

"Che… looks like the king of baby monkeys ne Kai?" Ryoma said turning to his butler with a smirk.

"Of course Ry-sama" Kai agreed with a dignified smirk of his own.

Atobe did not like that…

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A/N: You know you want to review so I'll continue soon :3


	3. One on One

A/N: Well I thought I'd release another chapter to hold you all off till I complete the others XD

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Shizaki Kuro- LOL I do that to myself a lot sometimes to when I re-read my last chapter to make sure I'm still on track. I find myself saying 'that's it?' to myself a lot too XD

Mika3103- Yes, Atobe and Ryoma's petty fights will never get old since they both have so much pride and stubbornness in them.

PheonixShadow- hmm… maybe it flew right over your head. Nonetheless I too missed writing something on a lighter note where the majority of the story would focus on their personalities and petty fights. Ryoma's going to be himself in this fic and cause wars among the school but yet he'll have a moon twist to usual clichés as wel..

MARYLOVER – Ryoma will do it his way as usual and I thought long and hard about what genre to list it under but like some of my fics. I have no idea what this initial idea will take me so I left the alternative genre blank and went with only what I KNOW will happen. Lol this one I decided I was going to take my time getting them in and out of each other's heads before pulling them together so we'll see how my muse works as the story progresses.

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch III: One-on-One**

**Recap~ **

"I can do anything better than you." Ryoma said staring him down evenly. To blend was one thing, to be looked down on was another.

"Then why don't you show me what skills you have in a basketball match this evening, E-chi-zen-kun?" Atobe said with a frown.

"Are you mad that a boy younger than you is sitting in the same class as you A-To-be-kun" Ryoma asked looking at Atobe with no fear.

"You little brat!" Atobe said with anger-filled eyes now.

"Che… looks like the king of baby monkeys ne Kai?" Ryoma said turning to his butler with a smirk.

Atobe did not like that…

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Japan**_

_**Break time**_

_**Student Lounge**_

"It's because you are naturally haughty and unlikeable," Fuji piped up from where he sat in the student lounge as Atobe elaborated on his meeting with the new transfer student.

"Ore-sama was the epitome of elegance and gracious to a fine line to that boy," Atobe proclaimed in slight outrage at Fuji's input to his tirade.

"Questioning a person on their station in life pertaining to yours is slightly insulting your highness," Fuji stated with a smile as his hands twirled his pen idly in thought. "I was there for that as well if you'll recall."

"That does sound more like Atobe than gracious to a fine line," Yukimura mussed out with an amused smile.

"I wouldn't put it past him not to establish himself immediately to anyone new." Tezuka included with a sigh.

"I can't believe that not one of you is sympathetic that I, ore-sama himself, have been set down and looked upon by a mere NOBODY!" Atobe raged out. He stopped his pacing to slam both hands on the table in front of him as he faced the room of people he had considered friend and equal.

"Your temper," Sanada and Tezuka spoke out at the same time with stern voices of authority.

"MY-" Atobe started in outrage.

"The challenge will be more interesting." Fuji cut in with a smile as he lowered his cheek onto his left palm in amusement.

"As I recall, Atobe is much better at tennis than basketball wasn't it?" Oshitari asked pushing his glasses up a notch to look at Atobe.

"As ore-sama was saying, I am NOT a total ruthless person who would pit a boy into a sport where ore-sama himself, has a very universal advantage in." Atobe said with flair and his usual confidence.

"So this king decided to settle for a sport he was about average in to give this boy a stronger foothold to defeat him?" Yukimura questioned with a quirking smile.

"How utterly gracious of this king," Fuji piped with amusement as well. "To allow even a slight upper hand for this boy is such a handicap only thought of by the great Atobe!"

"Or is it a plot to get a bigger applause since it isn't even our Atobe's greatest sport?" Yukimura asked.

"Stop the sarcasm," Atobe said with a frown. "You'll have to mop those words with my victory tonight."

"Childish," Sanada and Tezuka uttered together with a sigh.

Sometimes both wondered why they even traveled in the same circles with these people. They who upheld their dignity yet was humble running with sarcastic, prideful people.

"Are you debating the fact of why you put up with us again?" Yukimura asked not Sanada or Tezuka in particular. They had that look and sigh so it meant that the whole situation was becoming increasingly annoying to them. The strange thing about the two of them was that although they tolerated and respected each other, they didn't like each other.

"Patience is a good thing to carry." Tezuka stated.

"Especially when dealing with the lot of you…" Sanada uttered in annoyance.

"I beg your pardon Gen," Yukimura asked shifting his whole body to face Sanada now. "What was that?"

"Nothing of importance," Sanada amended.

"So-"Fuji broke into the argument. "How is his highness going to play basketball when he loathes being touched by people he hasn't given permission to touch him?"

XxX

**Ryoma's Room**

"You deliberately attracted unnecessary attention with the Atobe heir." Shizuka chided both Kai and Ryoma as she stood in front of both the bored butler and sleepy master in her full glorious height of five feet eleven inches… that is included with her four inch heels on.

"He started it," Kai defended with a frown.

Ryoma nodded his agreement but didn't bother voicing an opinion to go along with it.

Shizuka matched his frown and slowly her arms uncrossed and settled on her shapely hip and she glared both down.

"What?" They both said in unison.

"What happened to staying on the low and blending in?" Shizuka asked. Her grey-blue eyes bore down in irritation and just for a moment, Ryoma wondered why he had said yes to taking Shizuka with him.

"Are you regretting-"Shizuka started recognizing the way Ryoma started to squint slightly when he was regretting something.

"Was not," Ryoma defended though he really feared woman had mysterious powers over a man's life. His mother was able to guess his every thought ninety percent of the time and more often than not, they predicted correctly what would end up happening.

"Nonetheless," Shizuka said with a sigh. "We'll have to build a strong front with just the three of us."

"It's not like he had an army of supporters," Kai muttered with a smirk.

"You obviously do NOT realize that the majority of the girl population here loves the Atobe heir to bits and would rip apart any opposition that threatened him." Shizuka said through a sigh. "Not to mention many males here also love and respect the flashy heir despite all his flaws."

"Why is that?" Ryoma asked looking back at Shizuka. "I believe you have information from me since class while you roamed with the other maids?"

"He is the only son to a big corporation," Shizuka stated. "To be on the good side of him will determine who gets into the good companies later as well as who those big companies will to business with later."

"Among him, who else is a threat to my peaceful school life here?"

"There are many despite Ryoma's initial research to attend a place where there weren't going to be too many people in our circles running with us." Shizuka said turning her eyes to both males. "But we do have a prestigious line of businesses sons and daughters here."

"Any of Atobe and my standing?" Ryoma questioned.

"Close but not quite." Shizuka confirmed.

"True," Kai agreed. "There are a couple of people I recognize by face who wield their family names a lot."

"I did hear the police chief's grandson who works alongside your grandfather a lot goes here and so does Sanada-san's grandson who may inherit the dojo." Shizuka confirmed. "But the ones we have to watch closely is the man we met who eavesdropped on us, Oshitari Yuushi, and an individual called Yukimura Seiichi."

"I understand Yukimura since his family has a lot of connections in business and politics but I understand the heir himself isn't active in it." Kai said with a slight frown.

"Not active publicly but behind the scenes could hold another story." Ryoma said wisely. "My brother says that the Oshitari's do a lot of background checks and ask many personal questions so that one may be a problem as well."

"So that leaves us with the one who introduces himself as Fuji Syuusuke… what can we say about him?" Kai asked leaning his arms on his legs in an informal position.

"He is what Ryoma said about Oshitari Yuushi as well." Shizuka said curtly. "He likes to figure out mysteries."

"Despite that," Ryoma said standing to straighten his suit as he noted break was coming to a close. "I will not fail my family by being insulted by that monkey and you both won't fail as well."

"Of course," They both echoed though only Kai smirked widely.

They would do their work well and have the other students envy how well the Takeuchi's could perform under any stress.

XxX

**Gym**

**That Evening**

"I hope you didn't eat too much that you won't be able to dribble correctly brat." Atobe said with a superior smirk present on his face as he flung his towel off his shoulders and posed to the sighs and squeals of the girls and guys present. His towel was caught by a emotionless giant who quickly folded his towel and stood on standby should the monkey king call. He was most obviously one of the many servants the Atobe heir had in the facility. There happened to be six maids aligned and two footmen as well cheering their master on properly.

The atmosphere was not in their favor at all as Shizuka predicted but if there was one thing Ryoma was confident in, it was the loyalty of the two who stood behind him and his own skills to come out of this one-on-one alive and on top.

They had finished dinner an hour ago and this was a period of rest before showering and retiring for the night but that was being sacrificed to view the attempted "saving" of his royal monkey king's ego and pride.

"Good luck,"

Ryoma turned to see smiley eyes of Fuji Syuusuke who was standing beside him.

"You should tell him that." Ryoma said with a slight smirk.

"So confident with such odds…" Fuji said with a chuckle.

"The odds of people he has on his side is nothing to my mentality." Ryoma brushed off as he handed his towel to Shizuka who accepted it and handed Ryoma his water bottle. "All I need is Shizuka and Kai beside me."

"Saa…" Fuji mussed out but even he was impressed by how well they held up with just the three of them. He had seen many people back down or break at the sheer cheers for Atobe as opposed to them and yet the three in front of him seemed to not notice the cheers and jeers at all. They continued as if it was but another normal day and the maid was even telling him his schedule for the night as if this match wouldn't take more than thirty minutes at the least.

"Kai, my wristband." Ryoma ordered.

"Aa," Kai said sliding it onto the master's wrist before turning back to straighten his master's things professionally and rapidly.

"Amazing focus under all this aura ne?" Yukimura asked Fuji as he neared where Yukimura stood on the sidelines viewing both players of the night.

"Aa… he acts and says he's not in the least worried for himself." Fuji explained.

Yukimura didn't answer but view Ryoma thoroughly and slowly. The boy couldn't be more than five feet eight inches comparing to his butler who was about Tezuka's height at five feet twelve inches. The maid was possibly five feet seven without those heels she wore… which slightly puzzled Yukimura since maids usually wore comfortable shoes and not heels like a business woman. This boy made his butler and maid dress pretty professional and unlike any other maid and butler. Plus they seemed to talk back as comfortably to him as if they were at a higher position than him.

"He notices that you're staring at him and he's not concealing his irritation," Tezuka said bluntly cutting into Yukimura's observing.

"Hn…" Yukimura merely uttered as he smiled at the frowning boy who didn't take kindly to being looked up and down. He was straight…. But probably may not end that way if he kept spiking males attention like he seemed to be doing.

"Disgusting how they openly do this huh?" Kai mentioned.

"Aa," Ryoma agreed. It was his turn to view and he could see that the mysterious aura the lavender haired man was nothing to underestimate either. Behind that slight smile and slender body,he was a power punch. The serious man beside him didn't intimidate Ryoma at all but there was something about his frown and how serious he looked with glasses that made Ryoma wonder if he knew how to smile and relax. Other people there that seemed to catch attention was the serous man with the cap on, the dark haired man who constantly pushed his glasses up and drew his brow slightly when he was speculating. Otherwise their servants didn't hold much appeal to look at.

"Oshitari will ref, Shall we begin?" Atobe asked dribbling the basketball slowly as if giving Ryoma a handicap.

"Of course… shall we say the first to score five?" Ryoma asked handing his water bottle to Kai.

"As you wish though you may regret that later," Atobe said with a smirk and passed the ball quickly to Ryoma without warning.

"We'll see," Ryoma said catching the ball as if there was nothing significant to the pass though it indeed had been unexpected.

Dribbling the ball a couple times they headed out to the middle of the court and Ryoma looked at Atobe while he dribbled slowly.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to play…" Atobe said getting into a guarding position.

"I do… but are you sure you want me to go first?" Ryoma questioned.

"Of course… or else you might not be able to catch up." Atobe stressed out with another smirk.

"Well then…" Ryoma said crouching as well to face Atobe head-to-head. He started to dribble faster and quite suddenly disappeared from in front of Atobe.

"Eh?" Atobe said whipping around only in time to see Ryoma jogging his way as he dribbled to the basket.

"Oh no you don't!" Atobe muttered and went running after him to block. He smiled as he neared and but Ryoma off right before he got near the basket but he didn't expect Ryoma to turn around him and put the ball in with a basic lay-up.

"Two Points!" Oshitari called out before boos and disappointed groans could be heard.

Fuji turned his gaze onto the confident aura of the transfer kid and wondered how he could be utterly confident in a room full of enemies and his two faithful servants said not one word but looked directly ahead at him with the same confident expressions. Fuji had seen people break in pressure of the jeers they received, the people beside them who was suppose to stand beside them shy away in fear. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his two years here.

"Omoshiroi (interesting)," Fuji uttered.

"I agree," Yukimura said with a smile as his eyes glued on Ryoma. "I would have to say this boy might turn out to be more than a passing entertainment."

"You just got lucky," Atobe scoffed as he grabbed the ball. He dribbled quickly as he bypassed Ryoma and headed to his basket before he tomahawk dunked it smoothly earning a crowd of applause. He preened slightly but frowned when he noted that Ryoma seemed not to care that they were now tied at two-two.

"I won't lose to the same trick again brat," Atobe said as Ryoma tried to feint to the left to bypass Atobe.

"Che," Ryoma said with a smirk and pushed the ball extra hard and right through Atobe's legs while side stepping Atobe to go around and catch the ball.

Atobe, however got over the shock faster than the first time as was able to whip around and block Ryoma from advancing further.

"You little brat!" Atobe said in slight disbelief. At this point, though he would not admit it to anyone but himself; he was regretting the match. It seemed the boy knew more than a thing or two at this sport and he was being made to look the fool! He needed to steal and end the game; time was against him in this match.

Ryoma saw the slight panic in his opponent's eyes and smiled. He would give the man props for talking big and trying to do as he said but it was time to end this so he could have enough sleep for another day in his boring classes. Backing away slightly, Ryoma eyed the basket and jumped. He aimed quickly and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the ball sailing to the basket in a fade away three pointer.

It went in…smoothly.

The crowds deafening cheers covered Atobe's loud curse but Ryoma did not care. He walked away calmly, accepted his water bottle from his butler and allowed his maid to drape his towel over his shoulders.

"Very good Ry-sama," Kai said with a smirk.

"Indeed." Ryoma agreed and started out of the gym with a complaint about how he needed more sleep.

"Oi!"

Ryoma whipped around to see Atobe's dark face as the man chased him down.

"Now what? That was five points you know." Ryoma said with a frown.

"You deliberately let me think you weren't good and pounced me." Atobe said accusingly.

"As I recall, you never asked me what my background in basketball was." Ryoma stated with a sigh. He wanted to shower and get some sleep but it seemed this spoiled monkey wasn't going to let up.

"That last shot was just luck!" Atobe complained.

"Three pointers are my specialty." Ryoma clarified with a frown. "My brother is taller and a better point guard than you'll ever be so I learned to be fast and efficient. I also learned to be accurate with my shots if I should get blocked from far away."

"I demand a rematch…this time in tennis!" Atobe declared.

"Tennis?" Ryoma asked with a raised brow.

"That's what I said!" Atobe said with a definite nod.

Ryoma sighed and wondered how his days were going to end if people kept obligating his free time for petty fights such as these.

"This will be a walk in the park Ry-sama," Shizuka said breaking the impending silence between the two young masters.

If there was one thing she hated, it was a man who didn't know when to back off and admit defeat. She knew she should avoid further contact due to Ryoma wanting to stay low but this had to be dealt with.

"Ii yo( fine)" Ryoma said with a smile at Shizuka. "Shall we say tomorrow?"

"I'll cream you," Atobe said with a solid nod in acceptance.

"Mada mada dane (You still have lots more to work on)" Ryoma sighed out as he walked out not saying more. Shizuka and Kai followed but both of them noted the look of both the ones called Yukimura Seiichi and Fuji Syuusuke staring after Ryoma. It seemed this might become more than they bargained for.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter we'll deal with the tennis match and more on the other characters as well as developing Kai and Shizuka with other OC's that serve the familiar cast of PoT. We'll glance back into the loving family waiting to hear from their dear son as well. Do review and we'll continue to delve into the school life of Ryoma.


	4. The Elites

A/N: Well totally missed Halloween by a day but here is a release anyways to hold you all at bay. XD

Do review and hopefully some inspiration will touch me soon for another release.

* * *

Sheryl- Thanks for continuing to read everything that I write. I, at best; only sporadically update. I hope you continue to enjoy the stories and the characters that come into play.

PheonixShadow- Not if he can help it. I really wanted them to play around a lot in this fic so it'll be pretty easy going and fun for at least another three or four chapters.

MARYLOVER – Yes. It'll be a while before they even think of the concept.

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch IV: The Elites**

**Recap~ **

"This will be a walk in the park Ry-sama," Shizuka said breaking the impending silence between the two young masters.

If there was one thing she hated, it was a man who didn't know when to back off and admit defeat. She knew she should avoid further contact due to Ryoma wanting to stay low but this had to be dealt with.

"Ii yo( fine)" Ryoma said with a smile at Shizuka. "Shall we say tomorrow?"

"I'll cream you," Atobe said with a solid nod in acceptance.

"Mada mada dane (You still have lots more to work on)" Ryoma sighed out as he walked out not saying more. Shizuka and Kai followed but both of them noted the look of both the ones called Yukimura Seiichi and Fuji Syuusuke staring after Ryoma. It seemed this might become more than they bargained for.

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Japan**_

"Well, so much for staying on the down low right Shizuka?" Ryoma asked in a slightly amused tone as they walked the hall towards his morning class only to notice that the majority of the students passing by was very interested and curious about the unknown student who had unwittingly challenged their king in a sport he was "superior" at.

"He was starting to annoy me." Shizuka admitted with a slight sigh. "I cannot stand that type who can't admit defeat."

Kai choked back a laugh and smile as he looked at Ryoma's expression which went from smug to bratty in a little under three seconds. Ryoma's glare shot from Kai to Shizuka before a frown grace his perfect lips.

"I'm sure she meant no offense to you Ry-sama." Kai said in a slightly composed voice though laughter danced like beckoning demons in his dark eyes.

"I had forgotten you were that type as well." Shizuka admitted with a slight sigh. "Perhaps it is as they say about people recognizing their own kind and not liking the uncertainty of losing their turf."

Ryoma frown turned into a pout and he didn't say a word but Shizuka brushed a hand through the side of his hair with a tiny smile and said.

"You are still the prince of the universe if not of the school Ry-sama…"

Ryoma nodded appeased by her appraisal and continued on his way to class when he noted a student with grey eyes staring at him with discerning eyes. Ryoma gave him the sweep over he usually did when seeing something or someone interesting enough to hold his interest for more than a few seconds.

The boy wasn't like one of the many who gawked at him as he passed earlier; this boy was weighing his "weight" quite like the annoying people that monkey king hung with. Only this one didn't have a creepy smile and wasn't exerting as much aura as the others.

"Who is that Shizuka?" Ryoma asked with a slight lift of his eyebrow.

"He isn't a notable person so I would assume he's a scholarship student but he is in most of your classes Ry-sama." Shizuka said turning her stare to the boy as well.

Ryoma nodded but didn't say anything. The boy looked like he wanted to say something so Ryoma would wait for him to get the courage to say something. Unlike the others, Ryoma admired the way he held himself with real pride. Pride that wasn't going to bend and scrape for someone with a bigger title just to climb a step up as well; someone quite like…him.

"Move out of the way," voices down the hall boomed over the slight chatter of students. A wave parted and Ryoma turned his attention to who was approaching. He recognized the tall slender figure of Yukimura Seiichi immediately and frowned at how troublesome these people made life when they could just normally weave through the crowd as other people would do. Instead they vouch for the 'Here comes the King' movement and walk as if they own the hall. Ryoma frowned openly as the man walked through with a smile targeted towards Ryoma himself. Ryoma wondered if he expected Ryoma to part further and let him through as well or maybe everyone should bow and make it more convincing that he may step over them in his "haste" to get to class. He glanced momentarily at Shizuka, Kai and the boy who had stared at him before this interruption. It seemed the boy had moved a fraction back to give the in-coming demon room to go through but one look at Shizuka and Kai's similar frowns made him realize he wasn't the only one who was going to give an inch for this demon. All three stood their ground and the demon's butler separated himself from his master's back to step forward.

"You are to move aside for Yukimura-sama new kid." He spoke bluntly as the procession had to slow because of Ryoma. It seemed the boy thought it was because he didn't know better.

"You are welcome to walk around me like any person would if there was an obstacle in front of them." Ryoma said with a slight smirk to the boy.

"Said obstacle should remove itself from our way," The boy said with a frown now. His green eyes seem to darken with anger now.

"You would ask a wall to move for you seaweed?" Ryoma asked hardly intimidated that this boy was slightly taller than him and looked more like a real demon than his master who was a demon in disguise.

"My hair-"

"Looks like seaweed," Ryoma finished cutting him off as he heard a slight chuckle from the demon in disguise.

"That's enough Kirihara… we'll go around this "wall" instead." Yukimura relented with a slight smile.

Yukimura had been highly amused when the crowd parted and the three lone challengers remained rooted. It was apparent before they neared close enough that this Echizen was not going to move. Not because he didn't know he should, but because he knew he should and he didn't want to.

Walking past them, Yukimura chuckled as he remembered Echizen's comment about Kirihara's hair. It'd long been a joke between him and Sanada about his butler's messy hair that couldn't be tamed but to hear someone judge it in one go as he had with Atobe was highly amusing. Better yet, he was feeling like Ryoma had claw behind that chiseled, handsome face.

Heh… quite like a kitten.

"Kitten…" Yukimura uttered under his breath. Yes, that would be who he was.

"Amazing courage."

Ryoma turned back to the boy who stood across the parting from him. Though many whispered about the fronted confrontation between Ryoma and the demon's entourage, the boy looked mightily impressed by Ryoma's stand.

"Che, something so small is no big deal." Ryoma said brushing the situation as nothing more than a passing hindrance to his schedule.

"Either way, we scholarship students are duly impressed," He said through a slight shrug. "I'm Nakahara Shinta."

Ryoma nodded slightly.

"We're the only first year students in our class rotation. We're situated in classes only few second and multiple third years are in." Shinta continued

"In other words, we are a hell of a lot smarter than everyone our age and have the brain to graduate this year if we wanted to?" Ryoma asked turning to walk to class again. As expected, Shinta followed.

"Yes," Shinta agreed. "Though it's more likely we'll graduate next year because there are classes that are required for graduating."

Ryoma didn't speak as he continued on his way to class. What was it if he didn't graduate this year or not officially? If he got bored of this place then he would leave immediately. He made no promises to his family that he would stay for a piece of paper.

"You do know that standing up to an elite will make you the target right?" Shinta asked.

"Che!" Ryoma let out with an amused smile. He couldn't believe this school system was actually trying to emulate reality outside these grounds by having a handful of golden spooned elites rule them. Looks to the side of him mirrored similar amusement on Shizuka and Kai's faces as well.

"My my," Kai said with a smile. "It seems we better watch ourselves from being targeted by these "elites" right Ry-sama?"

"There is that hierarchy in the school and even the teachers let the elites bend the rules as far as they can without thoroughly breaking them since the elites is what feeds the school its money." Shinta explained.

"Hn… so not only do they try to emulate the class system, they also try to emulate the way of this world." Ryoma said with a frown.

"So are you what rumors say you are? Rich and smart as opposed to Atobe who has money, status and power?" Shinta asked as they neared their classroom.

Ryoma shrugged the question off and entered the class, letting Kai and Shizuka fuss over his chair and table placing his bag and books down to making sure everything was fit for him before he sat. Ignoring the rest of the people who trickled in, he wondered when class would begin so he could hurry up and get this day over with. He had much more on his plate then most of these carefree people.

The chatter of the people ceased as they all filed to their seats or moved out of the way to another entourage into the classroom by a army of maids and Ryoma made a point to ignore Atobe who walked in with Fuji. Utter nonsense and a waste of his eyesight in Ryoma's opinion.

What Ryoma didn't realize was that everyone else in the room was duly impressed by the devil-may-care attitude Ryoma took; especially to the flashiest Elite too.

Fuji on the other hand, was more than duly impressed. He was thrilled to have such a formidable opponent to try and capture in such a long time. Though this would only be the boy's second official day here at Mitsukawa, he had already managed to elude Yuushi, Yuki, and himself. They had tried to place a Echizen Ry in their system but had come up blank with no matches to the one that had blindsided them and became a rather large part of their lives now.

"Shizuka, make sure you work my schedule around the inconvenience of tonight or else the family won't leave me alone." Ryoma said in perfect English.

"Of course Ry-sama, "Shizuka answered back with a nod before taking out a notepad from her personal bag and writing down his instructions.

Fuji suddenly latched onto the possibility that he may be from overseas and Japan's database wouldn't have him listed in it. Especially since he was speaking in rapid English now and the maid turned secretary was jotting down notes like an expert only nodding or speaking to confirm.

Fuji wondered how far his hacker skills can bring this new element to become the new plaything of the Elites. They like playing with interesting people to kill time here before they graduated.

Other thoughts filled his mind as well though; like the possibility of having time to have dinner with Tezuka today and continue pursuing a closer relationship with the stoic police chief's grandson. It'd really determine how the day was going to go and how long a certain tennis match was going to take.

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Break time**_

Ryoma sighed as he entered his room and dropped onto his bed. School was tiring.

Not the taxing feel he had with business but an annoying tire which ate at him. He had refused to meet other students that Shinta had wanted him to meet and returned to his room for break instead to finish up on a couple proposals for the company.

Ryoma frowned as he heard a knock on his door and turned eyes onto Shizuka who was pouring him some coffee to Kai who was looking for the proposals for him. Kai turned away from his duty and walked to the door. He did his best impression of Maxwell before opening the door to see who it was.

"Can I help you Atobe-san?" Kai asked in a monotone voice.

"I assume you master is in?" Atobe asked with a raised brow. He had a giant of a butler behind him accompanying him but Kai was not intimidated.

"He is not receiving," Kai said with a small smile.

"He will have to," Atobe stated.

"Let the monkey in Kai," Ryoma said in a bored tone. Kai relented by stepping back and opening the door wider for both guests.

Atobe surveyed the room immediately and hated to admit it, but looked decent. The maid was pouring tea for all of them at a side table; the bed was towards one wall, fixed. Doors leading to other rooms and the bathroom were firmly shut, the drapes were open to let light stream in and the comfortable carpet was definitely NOT supplied by the school. He turned his gaze towards his left to see Ryoma seated in a comfortably worn leather chair behind a school provided mahogany desk. If Atobe didn't know better, he would've assumed the boy was actually a business man in a student uniform in disguise. He had the look and stance down though Atobe hated to admit it. It was slightly like facing his dad when he went home on occasion to report to his father.

"Done scouting enemy territory?" Ryoma questioned leaning back with a raised brow.

Atobe frowned visibly at how the brat sounded to the movements he took. He wasn't about to admit this confrontation was uncomfortably like a father dressing down his son but it increasingly was becoming like one.

"Ore-sama was; from the goodness of his heart, going to allow you the use of the tennis courts to practice in case it makes a slight difference in _**your**_humiliation tonight." Atobe stated nonchalantly. "Ne Kabaji?"

"Usu," the silent giant finally uttered, surprising Kai who had moved after shutting the door, to stand directly behind Ryoma.

Shizuka approached then and placed tea in front of all of them before leaving to the other side of the room.

Ryoma didn't answer as he picked up his tea and wondered if this nuisance was going to leave him along to have coffee and finish his proposals…

"Well?" Atobe demanded feeling like an idiot because the boy had not invited him to sit and the tea place before them would have to be taken sitting down.

"Well how long are you going to stand there and not take up residence as if you own the room as well?" Ryoma questioned. "At this rate, you look like a son I'm dressing down."

Atobe swallowed an angry retort and wondered if this brat had mind-reading abilities. He sat down with a frown and angry as he was, he could not complain about the chair he sat in or the tea he was served.

It was to the best of both quality-wise and honestly, his damn maid made better tea than his Aya could for him.

DAMN! If it wasn't the most infuriating thing to have a junior have the upper hand on him. It was, Atobe justified, because he wasn't used to such deplorable manners and so forth that this brat exerted.

"Well?" Atobe questioned as the brat in front of him finished his tea and placed it aside.

"Well if you're done then I no longer have to play host and you may leave." Ryoma said bluntly before standing. "Shall I thank you for walking all this way to tell me something that I will decline to do? Next time, shoot me an e-mail or a text so you won't have to waste both our time with formalities and the boredom of having to enjoy each other's company. I'm sure with your vast amount of supporters and friends you should be able to find out that much."

Kai merely took his place by the door as he opened it and swept a hand out entreating them to leave.

"You will regret this," Atobe warned before standing and dismissing Ryoma in a trained to the bone, noble snub. He swept out of the room with his giant butler in an instant and Kai shut the door soundly but professionally behind them.

"Would you like your coffee and papers now?" Shizuka asked already arranging said stuff at the desk while removing the tea cups.

"Of course," Ryoma said sitting back down with a sigh before a curse exited his mouth when a certain ringtone filled the room.

"Shall I?" Shizuka asked with a small smile.

Ryoma nodded though he looked like a grumpy kid and raised his hand for his cell phone. He breathed deeply before unlocking his phone and answering in a more pleasant tone.

"Okaa-san…"

"_How have you been Ryoma?"_

"I'm good mom, if it's nothing important I have-" Ryoma started.

"_You haven't called and mommy got worried, you DO know that you have a worried mother who HAS NOT heard from her son in almost TWO days right?"_

"Of course mother," Ryoma cringed slightly. His mother was the type he didn't have to raise her voice to do the damage. She was a lady first and foremost, as she always reminded him, and yelling was NOT ladylike. "I've been busy making friends and settling in." Ryoma fibbed.

"_Wonderful! I knew you would like school despite your father and brother's protest that you'd want to leave within the first week!"_

Actually they had been correct on that part since he had already wanted to bolt from this messed up school but it was probably his Takeuchi pride that instill him to make his mark before he left this place.

"Well Okaa," Ryoma said getting formal again with his mother. "I should really get started on homework-"

"_Did you meet anyone beautiful yet?"_

Ryoma let out a breath as he recognized his father's voice over the line now. It seemed they were not going to let up.

"Not yet dad so-"

"_Make sure you seduce as many girls as you can to have a nice selection. Use that face your mother and I gave you! Your brother-"_

"I'm not a player!" Ryoma barked back in irritation. "Not as big as you two!" Ryoma corrected since he had done his share of headaches to his mother as well with acquaintances and so forth.

" Is the proposals ready to fax over Ryoma?"

"They will be," Ryoma said losing the irritation and going back to his formal voice when he recognized his grandfather's voice.

"_Good, Ryoga will need thirty minutes in-between to get the gist and present the idea to the board. Have fun Ryoma."_

"I will sir," Ryoma said though they both knew from Ryoma's tone that it wasn't and hadn't been so far.

XxX

**Shizuka **

Shizuka wondered if she may be a little too hasty with her decision to shut the Atobe heir up and threw Ryoma under a bus. But he was so irritating and though she had been the cautious one for them to remain anonymous; she had instigated that fight.

Taking the laundry, Shizuka decided she could have Ryoma's clothes taken down and be back before his break was over and they would need to head to the next classes. Nodding her thanks to Kai as he opened the door for her, Shizuka headed down and realized that Ryoma had been right.

She had been over stressed with life and worrying about every little detail that people imposed on her life that being here and worrying about Ryoma's identity and caring for him was giving her peace with other problems in her life. Doing this duty was actually a lot more relaxing and getting to enjoy Ryoma's company was a lot better than the mess she got herself into.

Taking the back stairs and out the door of the dorms, Shizuka took the short walk to the Laundromat behind the cafeteria. Though she had seen some maids, they were apprehensive and everyone did their own work. Still, she knew better than anyone that everyone needed eyes and ears of others if they wanted to survive in places like this so she was determined to gain some measure of ground with the maids and management.

Shizuka actually didn't need to worry about that after entering the Laundromat. She met the curious gazes of the maids and it was them who approached her on applauding Ryoma and how she's different from every other maid they've met.

"How so?" Shizuka asked as she handed the load to the management team who actually washed the clothes.

"You're so refined and beautiful and your master lets you wear such beautiful uniforms." One maid gushed looking at Shizuka's black dress suit. It consisted of a white blouse with a tailored black dress jacket matched with a black pencil skirt and black pumps.

"Thank you but I'm no different from all of you in terms of skills." Shizuka said with a smile.

"Well… those over there think differently." Another maid uttered sneaking a glance towards the other side of the room. Shizuka looked up coolly and met gazes for a few seconds with a maid she had seen following the young Atobe heir the night before at the basketball game. Others in different uniform colors or styles surrounded her as well but it was clear that they thought themselves higher than management here and the maids who were in traditional maid uniforms of a black dress with a white apron.

"Is that so…"

"Yeah," the maid said folding her mistress's clothes carefully. "Their masters and mistresses can afford to dress them better and they hold themselves differently than we who are paid lower and work for people without status or money."

"A maid is a maid and your worth is not based on your master's worth but how you hold yourself." Shizuka said with a smile. "I have to get back to my master but I will be seeing all of you around again."

Without another word, Shizuka turned to leave with a nod to all of them formally but she now knew the ones she had to watch for.

Unknown to her, the maids she had associated with were impressed by how she treated them and uttered that she was a true lady and the household her master came from must really appreciate even the lowest maid.

XxX

_**The Elites Private Lounge**_

Yukimura chuckled once more in thought of his encounter this morning to the new evidence Fuji had brought to attention about his kitten.

"What are you so happy about?" Sanada asked sliding a hand over Yukimura's before squeezing it in slight affection. "You've been in a good mood all morning."

"It's just that kitten is so adorable that I want to mess with him more than ever." Yukimura admitted leaning against Sanada's shoulder slightly. "He's is so interesting."

"Is that what you call him now?" Sanada asked with a raised brow. His lover had a tendency to name things as he saw fit and it seemed the newest rebel had been named.

"Oh yes… my kitten has claws that haven't bared to it's full length yet." Yukimura said with a smile in thought of his set down that morning.

"Your kitten?" Sanada questioned with a slight lower octave then his usual tone.

"Well, ours." Yukimura corrected. He smiled slightly and looked at his lover. "You aren't jealous are you?"

"Hn… never since I want a piece of him too." Sanada stated with a bland expression.

"I'd say how and where?" Yukimura said pressing a kiss to his jaw. It was times like these when the ever serious Sanada joked with him that he immensely enjoyed his lover.

"I wouldn't expect too much from him though Seiichi." Sanada said running a hand through his dark hair. "Atobe is skilled in tennis and his skill in tennis is almost as perfected as his tendency to lever himself up on a pedestal."

"You think?" Yukimura asked considering the possibility.

"Even Atobe can give me a close game in tennis when we're serious." Sanada reminded Yukimura.

Yukimura shrugged with a smile. He was more into remembering the maid's words.

"_It'll be a walk in the park."_

'He's got a hidden ace or at least be pretty formidable in tennis to have such confidence.' Yukimura thought silently.

"We should gather the Elites to watch." Yukimura decided aloud.

XxX

**Kai**

Kai wondered if Shizuka was having the trouble he had when doing the run around for Ryoma. He had noted the slight hostility yesterday when picking up Ryoma's shoes and today while dropping his dry cleaning off, he noted that ALL the elite's butlers knew one another and stuck closely to one another. He was treated as the outsider and one butler from a lower lord had told him that they were giving Kai the "brush-off" since his master was causing uproar in the hierarchy in the school. Really, this treatment was incredible by how far everyone was willing to carry their loyalty.

XxX

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**History**_

Ryoma wondered if he was regretting Shizuka's advice now or not. He had taken her advice to have eyes and ears of others in his corner besides the Elites.

He had retracted his decline from earlier with Shinta to meeting people that were quite eager to meet him.

He had met Ibu Shinji, who was a scholarship student and worked in the library so he wouldn't have to pay half of his tuition. He was quiet and mumbled quite a lot but knew a lot about the elites and their "areas" where it was restricted to the elites guests and themselves.

There was the shy Ryuzaki Sakuno who gained entrance into the academy because her grandmother was actually Ryoma's math teacher. She stuttered more sentences than coherent words, and blushed all the time their eyes met. Not his ideal girl and if he were to seduce as many girls as he could, she was the first to be seduced with just a look.

Another would be her loud-mouth friend, Osakada Tomoka. She was very pleased to meet Ryoma and though she was smart; talked way more than was needed. Due to her loud voice there was an increase in projection then Ryoma could stand.

Two others were close friends, Yanagi Renji and Inui Sadaharu. They were more interested in the statistics of what Ryoma could bring to the table to irk the Elites rather than actually being glad to meet him. Then again they were the two most useful who knew a lot about the certain Elites that provoked him.

"There's more but perhaps another time," Shinta said recognizing Ryoma's irritated face from his usual bored one now.

"Yes," Ryoma said thankful for the reprieve. After all, he wasn't running for class president so there really was no need to meet everybody on a personal level.

"You'll probably meet the rest of the Elites tonight since you've made such a huge topic in the last two days. It'll spark their interest."

"Ooh great," Ryoma said looking at Shizuka and Kai who merely smiled politely back at him. Was it just him or were they enjoying his discomfort by all this?

XxX

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Indoor Tennis Courts**_

_**That Night**_

Shizuka and Kai looked at one another and approved of the impeccable dress style they both donned. Wearing their usual uniform, each made sure not a hair was out of place, a button undone and Ryoma's stuff all ready to go. Kai carried Ryoma's towels and racquets while Shizuka carried his water bottles and bag.

"Let's go," Ryoma's annoyed voice said from around the corner. He appeared in light Fila black pants and a loose Fila grey t-shirt.

"That's as good as it'll get," Shizuka said with a small smile. "We weren't expecting you to be playing tennis."

"True," Ryoma said with a sigh. "Or else I'd have brought my comfortable shorts."

All three already knew what reception they would receive so there was no need to brace themselves for the silence to come.

Entering the tennis courts, they weren't surprised that the bleachers were filled with students but it was a slight surprise to see many teachers in the front as well. It was obvious their opponent hadn't arrived yet since the cheer squad wasn't killing their eardrums yet but Kai and Shizuka got straight to work.

Kai arranged a chair and table near the entrance on one side for Ryoma. If the opponent decided on a later arrival then they would just pick the side they'd be on first. Shifting the desk into a comfortable position everyone wondered why both spent so long arranging paper and the water bottles on the desk.

"There you are," Shizuka said and Ryoma sat with a sigh. Both knew he was a bit grumpy because he had been working on homework and things for business. Deadlines had to be met and on top of all that, he needed to deal with a pompous Atobe heir. As slightly impressed as Ryoma was with the Atobe heir's father who constantly traveled between Europe and Japan for his business, he wasn't impressed with the son.

Shizuka handed him his reading glasses and he promptly put it on as he begin to scan through his work, ignoring the crowd who was in awe that he was doing homework minutes before a tennis match. Shizuka merely opened a book she had brought along to read on the bench nearby and Kai removed a classy phone from his pocket to play with. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Ryoma called for Shizuka who set up his laptop and a portable fax in no time and Ryoma continued silently to do his own thing. As soon as the faxes went through and Ryoma shut his laptop in completion, the crowd was graced with a smile from Ryoma as he slid his reading glasses off a little too sexy than all those other times.

Shizuka rolled her eyes and Kai bit back a smile but now the stage was set. Ryoma began his stretches and the double doors swung open with a loud thud.

Atobe marched in front with his head held high as cheers rang out and his entourage followed after him. His giant butler followed behind with a royal purple towel, a brown haired under butler carrying water, a head maid marching with snacks on a platter and six other maids carrying other miscellaneous stuff for their master.

Nine other prominent members followed through the doors behind them as well.

Shinta approached Ryoma as he ignored the commotion the little group made and continued his stretches. Now that he was done with his work, he could teach the Atobe heir a thing or two without anything else to worry about.

"Not fazed at all?" Shinta asked.

"No," Ryoma answered and raised a hand as Shizuka came forward to put his Fila wristband on and Kai stepped forward with his favorite Bridgestone Dynabeam Grandea racquet.

"Ry-sama…" Shizuka interrupted.

"Ah sou…" Ryoma said accepting the Fila cap from her. Slipping it on, Ryoma smiled and looked at Shinta. He had with a few slight changes gone from a mature business man to a younger looking tennis player.

"Tell me about those people." Ryoma commanded noting how every single one of them was studying him and they proved to be a bit intimidating.

"The first is of course, Atobe Keigo. The only son and heir to Atobe corporation, he's smart, handsome, flashy and known as "King"." Shinta said nodding to the King who had snapped to quiet everyone down.

Ryoma could see where "King" came from. To be able to control everyone with a snap of his fingers was very king-like. Ryoma had to admit he was mildly impressed by the sheer amount of influence he had that made students bend over backward for him and kiss his feet if he should ask for that.

"Go on," Ryoma prodded continuing his stretches.

"The one to his right with the blue hair is Yukimura Seiichi. He's from the Yukimura group who dabbles in politics and business so he knows a lot about everything outside these walls." Shinta stated. "Kind of mysterious, cold at times, and observant, he is known as the "Child of God"."

"Why?" Ryoma asked in mere curiosity. What a strange name for such a guy…

"It is said that those who oppose him directly start to lose their senses and he has never lost a game he initiates or those who initiate one against him." Shinta explained.

"I have a better name," Ryoma said with a frown. "How about demon?"

Shinta smiled slightly at that. "I don't think he'd appreciate that."

"Che!" Ryoma said and stared the feminine blue eyed demon down from where he was staring at Ryoma. A slight twitch to his mouth indicated to Ryoma that he was enjoying Ryoma's probing stare as well.

"Beside him with the dark hair and stern expression is his purported lover Sanada Genichirou." Shinta informed in a lower voice. "Though he comes from a mid-income family, they run a highly famous dojo and have old blood so he's considered one of the elites. Because of the ruthless way he discards and crushes those who are useless to him and who he deems not important, they named him "Emperor"."

Ryoma nodded viewing the emotionless guy beside the demon critically as well. Rumors seemed about right with what they said since he could see in the way Sanada stood and the way his eyes looked back at Ryoma that he was strict and seemingly had a standard for Ryoma though he didn't personally now him.

"And the one beside him with a similar expression?" Ryoma questioned. He noted that beside said "Emperor" the man next to him looked not so much strict as mature. The way his glasses sat on the bridge of his nose to the discerning look he gave right down to the way he stood as if he was in charge. He looked extremely serious and the type to be devoted to whatever hobby he did. Ryoma knew from Shizuka that he was the police chief's grandson but Ryoma wanted to know what Shinta knew of him.

"That is Tezuka Kunimitsu, the grandson of Tokyo police force chief." Shinta said quickly. " He regularly plays tennis though we really only do friendly competition with other schools once a year. Because of his fairness and devotion to tennis in the years he's been here, they've named him "Buchou"."

Ryoma nodded in agreement. He did seem to be in his element… hell! All the Elites seem to be in their element since the seemingly looked knowledgably about the game. If they were all players then Ryoma wouldn't be surprised since Tennis was a widely played sport among the upper-class in any country really… almost as popular as golf which Ryoma dabbled a little in as well. He knew the one beside the police chief's son as well but he waited Shinta to tell him since he had no knowledge that the "Elites" had nicknames they carried.

"Oshitari Yuushi is the one beside Tezuka-senpai and being from a family who deals in politics, he's very manipulative and sneaky according to many people." Shinta confided. "People say he has access to Japans' database because his whole family is into politics and government. Because of that and the multiple ways he uses to solve one problem, they named him the "Technician"."

Ryoma agreed with that as well since he specifically remembered having to thwart the man's father from his grandfather because he was being too persistent with wanting some shares from within the Takeuchi company.

"The one beside him?" Ryoma prompted. He was the one that not Kai or Shizuka knew about besides his name, and he was most curious what this one owned since he himself did not know anything about this smiling demon as well.

"Fuji Syuusuke is very smart and highly trained in something. He comes from a mid-income family who has nothing important in particular but I heard he does some government work because he's so smart and clever. Because of his curious nature to figure out everybody in any way he can even if it seems impossible, he's called the "Tensai"."

"Sou…" Ryoma said glaring at the "tensai" who seemed amused that he was getting attention as well from Ryoma since he could be seen chuckling. Shizuka often made fun of his fake reading glasses that he needs to wear to get into "business" mode when his eyes were as sharp as a cat if truth be told.

"Sitting down is Shiraishi Kuranosuke. He's from a notable business family but he does everything with perfection and uses as little energy to do it in as little steps as possible making him notorious as "Bible"." Shinta explained. "Beside him studying you with a crooked smile is Niou Masuharu. His family deals in politics as well but it is how he goes about getting things done and having fun that the name "Trickster" derives from. To Niou-senpai, as long as it's fun, it's worth it."

Ryoma frowned. He knew immediately he wasn't going to like that one then… better yet, he didn't think he liked any one of them to be honest.

"The one beside them is the son of our gym teacher and the student body council president. Though he doesn't have power or a far respectable family besides the fact that his father is an ex professional tennis player who won four consecutive times in Japan, he is rich so that makes him an Elite." Shinta said with a nod. "Because of his position and the way he holds himself as if he owns the world, he is labeled "Kaichou"."

Ryoma let out a breath and thought about how absurd this was yet how very informative at the same time. "That last one is the last Elite right?"

"Aa," Shinta responded with a nod. "That's all ten of them and that last one you see with the glasses and purple hair is Yagyuu Hiroshi. He is the student council treasurer and highly respectful. Because of that, he earned the nickname, "Gentleman"."

"Are you ready brat?" Atobe called out.

"Whenever you decide you are, " Ryoma said dismissing Shinta to the side.

"I forgot to tell you Atobe-senpai is very good at tennis!" Shinta said hurriedly.

"Funny as it is," Ryoma said with a lop-sided smile to Shinta. "So am I."

With a quick wink to Shizuka and a fist bump to Kai, Ryoma entered the court across from Atobe and awaited the "King's" orders.

"You may choose one of these men behind me to be the umpire for our game," Atobe said with a smile. "Any of them you can trust to be fair."

"Tezuka-senpai," Ryoma said easily without even thinking about it. From what Shinta said then he could trust that guy to be fair.

Atobe nodded though he seemed a bit surprised that Ryoma had known Tezuka by name. They waited for Tezuka to take the seat before continuing.

"One game, Which?" Atobe asked setting the top of his racquet on the court floor.

"Rough," Ryoma said easily and walked away to get into position after watching the racquet spin for the fourth time around.

"Oi! You don't even know how it's going to land." Atobe said with a frown.

""I'll serve," Ryoma merely said and held his racquet up for Kai to toss him a ball.

"Do you play often?" Atobe asked seeing that Ryoma had predicted right to the gasps of the crowd.

"Not really," Ryoma said catching the ball swiftly with his racquet... Which is a truth because he hadn't had time to play in a while if he really thought about it.

"Be awed at my prowess then," Atobe said with a smile as he got into a receiving postion.

Ryoma merely smiled and readjusted his Fila cap. "Mada Mada Dane,"

Bouncing the ball a couple of times, he tossed it up and decided to test the waters with a slice serve. It was immediately apparent that indeed the monkey king had a prowess at tennis. Ryoma dashed forward to try a cross-shot only to be thwarted when Atobe launched the ball over his head and towards the baseline with a triumph look.

"Heh…" Ryoma uttered feeling a sudden burst of inspiration to win now after Tezuka called out "Love-fifteen."

"ATOBE! KING!" shouts and chants could be heard. Ryoma ignored it and glanced at Shizuka and Kai who merely nodded back at him. It was time to get serious.

Fuji tsk slightly as he once more viewed Ryoma support team who silently supported their master without breaking. He also noted the kid sitting with the servants. Nakahara Shinta as Fuji recalled seemed to have been drawn to Echizen's side. He wondered what was going on in those two servants mind whereas the tension and look of Nakahara showed his emotions clearly. Were they not worried that their master just lost his first point?

Ryoma bounced the ball a couple more times and decided he'd have to shut the crowd who was calling him names now up with his specialty. Tossing the ball up again his body remembered the movement though it had been a few weeks since he had played. Hitting it hard, Ryoma watched his signature move land and bounce high towards the King's face.

"Whoa…" The crowd echoed after Tezuka called out "Fifteen- all"

"What was that?" Oshitari questioned Yukimura.

"Twisted serve," Fuji uttered aloud for them. "He's no beginner."

"Hidden Ace…" Yukimura said with a smile to Sanada whose frown deepened. He knew Atobe had more than that in him.

"Nice move brat but I won't fall for it again!" Atobe warned. He got ready to receive again though not as cocky as before.

"Heh…" Ryoma said with a smile before he served again. This time he offered a flat serve and rallied light-heartedly with Atobe between fore hands and volleys before it seemed the King was getting riled at being toyed with for the last five minutes.

"Hametsu e no rondo(Rondo to Destruction)" Atobe announced and as he smashed the ball over. Ryoma saw and felt the pressure to his racquet handle making him drop his racquet as the ball went flying back to his opponent. He understood the move now, if he didn't had a racquet he couldn't hit the next smash back.

"Che! Seems he's already figured out Atobe." Niou said suddenly seeing Ryoma's face. No one understood the trickster's words until they saw what happened next.

Ryoma smiled and grasped the falling racquet with his left hand and as the smash came flying back, Ryoma used a simple drop shot to score.

"Thirty- fifteen"

"What the hell was that? Changing hands?" Atobe asked.

"Never played against a Nitoryuu(able to use both hands) player?" Ryoma asked before going back to the baseline.

"It's ten Ry-sama!" Shizuka called out suddenly.

Ryoma frowned and glanced back at Atobe. "Looks like I got to finish you up quick if I want to sleep."

At that comment Kiraku's lip quirked up a bit in amusement. He too loved his sleep and was very grumpy when prematurely disturbed.

"Well let's get serious than brat," Atobe said as well.

Ryoma maneuvered a fast serve and was not surprised his opponent had now stepped up the game as well. Intense volleys with a couple drop shots and backhands kept them moving back and forth and side to side but Atobe knew the boy had a slight advantage.

"Split step," Yukimra identified for the rest of them. "Akaya does that very well when I play against him."

"Well hopefully Atobe doesn't tire quickly then," Yagyuu stated pushing his glasses up slightly. "This is getting interesting."

"I would agree," Fuji stated as he watched the smile that never was far from the first year's face. It was a sign of victory.

Atobe swung hard making it look as if it was a smash but Ryoma knew better seeing that it was going to roll. Using a front foot hop, Ryoma pushed it back getting a forehand shot back from a slightly surprised Atobe. Deciding to give back what he got, Ryoma smashed his version back… cool drive.

"Forty- fifteen" Tezuka called out as Atobe missed the shot by a slight miss step.

Ryoma knew if he wanted to end this game quick it would need to be very serious right now. He couldn't afford for the other side to show his very true side at the moment. Maybe at another time they could fully enjoy the effects but Ryoma was more worried at the moment about sleep and the report back he would be getting from his brother and grandpa tomorrow.

Ryoma switched to his left hand and started to serve.

"That's not going to throw me off." Atobe said with fire in his eyes now.

Ryoma didn't speak as he let the serve do the talking. He could tell he surprised Atobe since the serve was much more powerful than any he had been serving… and why not? His dominant hand was left.

The match was cleared straightaway as he smashed Drive C's over and ended the match calmly. Atobe didn't see it coming and dissatisfaction filled him.

"Game, set, match Echizen." Tezuka stated.

"I won," Ryoma said accepting the towel and water handed to him from his servants, "There is some truth in your big monkey words but you're still mada mada"

Ryoma turned away even as Atobe regained his ire and started to retort. Ignoring it, Ryoma walked out of the courts and towards the dorms. He was tired and he knew whether anyone else knew or not that the monkey king was just getting started and if they played full sets, he would have to hold his own better as well.

"He's very good Principal Takeda," Kiraku said as he watched the youngster leave with Atobe following about a re-match.

"He is," Takeda said with a slight smile. "He has talent doesn't he?"

"His style reminds me of someone from long ago," Kiraku admitted. "They way he played and how he gets serious. Who is his father?"

"It's under wraps but he's Takeuchi Takahiro's younger grandson." Takeda confided.

Kiraku frowned…. He hadn't known the Takeuchi had a younger grandson… but then again no one knew of the older grandson till much later as well. Still, it confirmed what he wanted to know. Echizen Ryoma was none other than Samurai Nanjiroh's son.

Outside the halls, Atobe felt stupid to be falling the three so he stopped and leaned against the hall as he wondered how the hell he was going to pick up his pride.

"Ryoma you are horrible… making him lose so fast because of sleep!" Shizuka's voice filled the silent hallway.

"Whatever Shizuka,"

"But that was a strenuous thirty minute match wasn't it Ryoma?"

"Aa,"

Their voices faded but Atobe remained stoned on the wall in the silence.

Why was his servants misaddressing him and he was allowing it?

What really was going on in that room of theirs?

* * *

A/N: Oh no… Atobe's getting ideas again and maybe you all may get another chapter on it if I feel more inspirited. Please review so I will get to this story sooner rather than later. Thank you!


	5. Worthy Master

A/N: Not much to say besides you all voted and here it is. Do review!

* * *

Alice- I'm glad you decided to give my fics a try and i hope to continue to interest you in many more stories to come. Thank you so much for your support!

yukichan10- This chapter's to you especially!

MARYLOVER – I must do because here's the next chapter already XD

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch V: Worthy Master**

**Recap~ **

"Ryoma you are horrible… making him lose so fast because of sleep!" Shizuka's voice filled the silent hallway.

"Whatever Shizuka,"

"But that was a strenuous thirty minute match wasn't it Ryoma?"

"Aa,"

Their voices faded but Atobe remained stoned on the wall in the silence.

Why was his servants misaddressing him and he was allowing it?

What really was going on in that room of theirs?

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Elite Student Private Lounge**_

"The last lost must have affected Atobe- san's head." Yagyuu justified from where he sat on the sofa with his legs crossed reading his book.

"At this rate no one is going to respect us anymore," Sanada uttered under his breath from where he sat beside Yukimura on the opposite sofa.

"It's because he's an Atobe," Yukimura said with a smile leaning his head onto Sanada's shoulder with a smile. Truth be told he didn't mind if Atobe wanted to bend all the rules in the book as long as he got to see his kitten's reaction.

"He's just crazy," Shiraishi put in from where he had started playing billiards against Fuji.

Fuji merely shrugged and started planning his attack on Shiraishi instead of offering his opinion on Atobe's latest scheme to bring the new kid under their rule.

"Why not?" Atobe burst out after hearing so much opposition. "If we take the two he's closest with than he'll surely break down."

It made perfect sense in his head so he didn't understand why they didn't understand the simplicity of ordering the kid to lose the servants and downgrade him with their power.

"It's using power for the wrong reasons," Kiraku said through a sigh. "We were warned against pushing the limit after the last kid transferred and told everybody in society that the school scarred him for life."

"I hardly think this stunt will make the kid cry and leave to tell the world that he was bullied!" Atobe said with disbelief.

"Can't you leave him alone?" Tezuka suggested from where he sat trying to do his homework as well before Atobe brought up the subject.

"Not until he wins something obviously," Oshitari said sarcastically from where he was staring out the window. It seemed the kid had very good stamina and very strange servants because at this moment he was watching the kid and his butler jog around the track outside when most people should be in bed with the maid keeping time on their runs with a stopwatch.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**5AM**_

_**Kai**_

Kai sighed as he waited for the guy to find Ryoma's clothes and uniform from the dry-cleaners. It was a pain sometimes having to be up so early just to fetch Ryoma's stuff for him but hey, it was the requirement for getting to leave with Ryoma. Kai leaned against the counter and wondered what it would've been like if Ryoma had used his power.

They could've had a room on the top two floors which belonged to the Elites and rich, influential kids. Rumor had it that those kids up there had their own personal lounge and kitchens for their personal chefs so they wouldn't have to eat with anyone but the ones like them.

Sadly, Ryoma hated attention so he vouched for where they currently were; the third floor which had a mixture of rich students with little or no status.

The fourth floor of the dorm was for the students who were from high and mid-income families that could afford servants but held no significance in society.

Fifth floor was ground floor and the biggest for all the scholarship students that were accepted based on their grades.

The underground level was for fourth's floor servants since fourth floor did not have any extra rooms for them as it did in the first to third floors.

The next building over was where he was currently at. Which were the kitchens, Cafeteria, laundry room, and the dry cleaning room.

"Good morning,"

Kai turned his attention to the door and saw that the butlers from the Elite parts were entering and speaking only to him in courtesy and nothing more. Kai nodded his greeting and straightened from his relax pose. You never knew when someone might be looking for a flaw as Maxwell had intoned to him before he left.

"You're Echizen's butler aren't you?" one butler asked looking at Kai directly. Kai nodded in answer without being vocal. The day before no one had thought to even speak to him and now they wanted to know details. He was suspicious to their sudden change of heart but there was no basis for their approach yet if he was to analyze it as well.

"Your master seems to have quite the deep pockets to be on the third floor." One commented from where he stood viewing Kai with probing eyes.

"He may," Kai said with a shrug of his shoulders. It didn't matter what they thought of Ryoma or himself.

"My master was highly interested in your master's performance yesterday." The man continued to talk though his attention was now focused on picking some lint out of his clothes.

Kai didn't answer. He had the feeling they wanted his to defend his master or praise Ryoma but he held his tongue. Ryoma didn't need the praise and he didn't need to waste the breath really.

"What is your name?" Another spoke up. He had bored expression on his face but he proudly wore his black butler outfit with the royal blue undershirt to indicate that he served Kiraku.

"Kai," Kai said bluntly.

If there was one thing he didn't like, it was other men trying to size him up with numbers. He had already distinguished the monkey king's servants since they wore black and purple. The giant and the light brown haired guy who followed wore it across the room and neither spoke.

The mouthy one asking all the question wore black and grey and carried the Oshitari crest.

Kai also recognized the one with "seaweed" hair as Ryoma had dubbed as well. He was the butler to that scary demon Yukimura. The other three present butlers' in the room didn't speak but look interested in Kai as well. All the other butlers in the room didn't have quite the same tailored suits as they did and kept out of eye sight during this slightly uncomfortable situation.

"He must to be able to afford Saito's tailoring for your suit." The man said flicking a gaze across the material and expensive brand. "How much do you get paid to serve the little prince?"

"None of your business," Kai said easily. He knew how spendy his clothes was without them telling him. He knew that apart from the "Elites" head butlers and Maid, only Shizuka and he had tailored clothes from Saito.

Saito was a high-class, elegant and business store that only catered to the rich and powerful at a extravagant price, and even then, Saito sometimes had to be bribed to see to certain families. Thankfully Saito grew up with Ryoma's Onii so he catered willingly to his cute "outouto" as he liked to tease Ryoma.

Turning to pick up Ryoma's clothes when the attendant returned with it, he inspected the quality. It had been neatly cleaned and hung, ready to use for the day so Kai thought to leave when the next comment caught him.

"Embarrassed to share huh?" The guy asked. "Is he that cheap when our master gives up bonuses just for the hell of it?"

"He gets dressed nice doesn't he?" Kiraku's butler said with a smirk at Kai. "That's bonus right there."

"I meant on top of that." The other said with a wave. "As we do."

"Being in his presence is a cost too high for any of you," Kai stated instead and inclined his head in a telling way that he was off and didn't care what gossip they wanted to carry to their master's ears.

"So it seems your master is as punctual as mine?" One asked.

"Rich as mine?" The monkey king's under butler asked.

"Astute as mine?" Oshitari's butler asked.

Kai sighed and looked at them silently in thought before he spoke.

"He's blunt, lazy, bossy, sadistic in certain situations, unforgiving, mouthy, unsympathetic, and complains about everything." Kai said with a nod of his head pretty sure that he had covered just about everything he could think of about Ryoma's bad side.

"That's it?" They all asked in unison appalled by how horrible it sounds to be his butler.

"He's also trustworthy, loyal, smart to a fault, interesting and picks fights when he has nothing better to do or people annoy him." Kai added with a brief smile before exiting the room.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Shizuka**_

"Thank you Momoshiro-san," Shizuka said with a smile as she accepted the clean sheets.

"No problem," She said with a smile. "It's rare to have someone be so nice when asking for anything when they come from up there."

Shizuka nodded her understanding since she had come in after the maids from the top floor and they had demanded if not stated their needs. She had felt like reprimanding them about their manners in front of the main housekeeper for the school but held her tongue.

"You should get going if u have to be back in this building for your master's breakfast." Momoshiro waved her out. "The others made such a fuss about sheets that it held you up for too long."

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Ryoma**_

"Nande!(Why)" Ryoma sighed in a slurred, tired voice from under the pillow as he recognized the ringtone.

He opened one heavy eye and groped around for his phone only to find the noise was coming from the desk.

Ryoma rolled onto his back in groaned in annoyance as he pushed his warm blankets back. Swallowing a curse at the chilling air, He stuffed his feet into his slippers by the bed and trenched across the cold room naked to get his phone.

"Nani!(What)" Ryoma snapped out in annoyance after he picked it up.

"_How's school Chibisuke?"_

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Ryoma demanded heading back into the warm cocoon of his bed rather than grab his robe and actually get up.

"_It's time for you to get up."_

"It's time for me to take care of my morning hard-on and unless you want to provide a vocal scene while I'm stroking my perfect sized penis then I suggest you hang up!" Ryoma said irritated that his brother was so cheerful at disturbing his sleep. He ended the call and rolled onto his stomach with another groan.

Ryoma was dreading the fact that he was going to have to get up now especially since his mind was now up and alert.

"So did you take care of your hard-on?" Kai asked indicating he had heard the Ryoma on the phone. He grinned slightly and started to put Ryoma's uniform on the hanger before going about his other business.

"Uresai Kai," Ryoma grumbled out before pushing his warm cocoon off once more and strolling naked to the chair that had his robe draped on it. His sleek body was naturally sensual and reeked of sexual tension for either sex Ryoma had learned early on. It was attractive and he was not in the least fazed as Kai rolled his eyes and checked him out with "Interested" eyes.

"So grumpy," Kai said with a convincing hitch of passion at seeing Ryoma's body.

"You'll be the one sucking me off if I hear another word." Ryoma threatened with a slight frown although a smile threatened to destroy the affect. He knew and Kai knew that Kai was straight, would always be straight but nonetheless could provoke Ryoma.

"It seems the masters of the game have resorted to using their butlers to fish information out." Kai said after Ryoma finished brushing his teeth

"Honestly, they are a pain in the ass."

"I'm glad you know what you are," Ryoma said with his first smile of the morning as he came out of the bathroom.

"They are to your school life," Shizuka confirmed as she entered the room with his breakfast in one hand and sheets tucked under one arm. "Are you still pretty tired Ryoma? You were up pretty late to finish last minute work and you insisted on that jog to wind down from your match as well."

"Whether I am or not; the family can't make a proper decision without me." Ryoma said with a sigh as he sat down at the table in front of breakfast.

"They probably can if you would abandon them at it." Kai suggested sitting down beside him to pick at his food as well.

"Aniki's useless unless he has the set-up in front of him and he's just negotiating." Ryoma stated not caring what Kai was doing but reached for his coffee.

"Then again you were up pretty late as well weren't you?" Kai asked Shizuka who was giving him a disapproving frown at how he was picking off of Ryoma's plate.

Shizuka didn't say anything as she ignored that and practically turned the plate towards Kai before she launched into how snobby the maids from upstairs were.

Ryoma nodded before he picked up his coffee and headed towards his laptop. Settling at his desk, Ryoma hands danced across the keyboard deftly as he logged on and switched on his browser to read his e-mail. Skimming through the latest ones, Ryoma sighed and leaned back.

"What is it?" Shizuka asked glancing up from where she was pouring herself some tea.

"I can't play dumb with my grandpa anymore," Ryoma said with another sigh. "He knows I know how to do it."

"Then stop being a little prodigy," Kai suggested between bites of Ryoma's breakfast. "This is actually good, want some?"

Ryoma shook his head and straightened as he placed his reading glasses on and went into business mode.

Shizuka merely watched in amazement as she usually was when it concerned Ryoma. He had always amazed her with his abilities and his mouth for one thing. For all the things he said and mocked, he was always able to back it up. Ryoma was amazing as he was already but Shizuka knew he always strived for more. Ryoma was always hard on himself and doing one thing or another to kill time even if it is "inconvenient" as he likes to complain about. Yet everything in Takeuchi corp. was done with prospering effects because of Ryoma and his grandfather. Though he deserved a pedestal next to his grandfather for being a prodigy, he didn't want it. He hated the public whom he found annoying; he wasn't the type to negotiate because he was so anti-social so he did the only thing he could to distract his grandfather from him. He threw his brother up as the front-man with his grandfather while he worked peacefully behind the doors and behind the scene.

KNOCK KNOCK

Ryoma looked towards Shizuka and Kai and rose in brow in question. He surely wasn't due for class for another forty-five minutes and there was no reason anyone should be visiting him.

Kai straightened and wiped his mouth as he strolled over to the door and pulled it open swiftly.

"A letter for your master," The man said with a slight smile.

Kai nodded and took it but he wasn't convinced it was any small letter. After all, this WAS Atobe's under-butler who was delivering it and the letter was not of the Atobe emblem but the "Elites".

Shutting the door, Kai frown as he walked towards a waiting Ryoma with the letter stretched out towards Ryoma.

"I'm shaking with glee," Ryoma said bluntly through a sigh as he picked up his letter opener and opened the elegant letter and skimmed the contents of it quickly with Shizuka and Kai behind him reading along as well.

The letter was long and elaborated more than needed for the small reason that it was sent in the first place. It was to inform Ryoma that he was being demoted to the fourth floor and will need to give up his servants by the end of the day if he didn't want to be expelled.

Ryoma frowned slightly as he wondered if he had time to deal with this as well as the new problem his grandfather wanted him to solve by tonight. Ryoma let out a heavy sigh and looked at Shizuka and Kai. All three connected this issue with the one and only person they could think of to do this.

"Atobe…" They all muttered at the same time.

"I have a strong urge to kick him in the shin like a little brat because I need to live up to the name he gave me." Ryoma said turning back to more important matters on hand.

"You got that right," Kai said taking a seat across from Ryoma heavily. They didn't sign up to be harassed by a spoiled monkey.

"What do you plan to do about this Ryoma?" Shizuka asked looking at the letter Ryoma had tossed to the side of his paperwork.

With a slight smirk, Ryoma quoted his grandfather's words of wisdom he often spoke to Ryoma. "I'm about to not get even but overwhelm completely!"

Both nodded since they didn't doubt Ryoma's threat at all. Maybe at one point they would've pushed off his big words but they had both known him for too many years to take it as a bluff now. The Atobe heir on the other hand, would be experiencing firsthand how difficult life would be with Takeuchi Ryoma as an enemy.

"Come on," Ryoma said getting up after shutting his laptop and standing to grab his uniform from where Kai had left it hanging.

"Where are we going?" Kai asked watching Ryoma enter the bathroom where Shizuka had taken the time to lay out his under stuff for him.

"To enemy territory," Ryoma said lightly before shutting the bathroom door with a thud.

Shizuka and Kai looked at one another before they started to move as well. Everything would have to be done and packed for Ryoma, the dishes stacked to head to the kitchen and they would need to don on their best outfit to fight the enemy. War was about to break out.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Elite Student Private Lounge**_

"Heh… so you all do live like little kings up here," Ryoma announced as he walked into the private dining room upstairs exclusively for the labeled "Elites".

The room was decked out in satin curtains, with table covers to match it and a impeccable line of servants to clear the table and place new plates of food on the table as if the group was having dinner and not breakfast.

"On whose watch did they let you crawl up here brat?" Atobe asked from where he sat.

"None if you consider the fact that I didn't crawl but strolled here," Ryoma said simply. "Now then; since I was given the courtesy of finishing my breakfast before your petty note, I will do the same."

"So I take it you have a problem with it," Yukimura asked pushing his plate away. He had been anticipating this confrontation since Atobe had given the order to have it sent.

"My Shizuka and Kai only serve a worthy master." Ryoma stated. "I don't see one seated here."

"Saa…" Fuji breathed out with a smile. How very interesting this new pet was.

Oshitari smiled as well and though he didn't say anything, he was highly impressed but also suspicious as to why his extensive database can't place this youth yet. There was no sign of a Echizen Ryoma or Ry anywhere in the system and even the school database only had his name listed with nothing else as reference. At the moment, he too was thinking as Fuji was that he was definitely from overseas.

"There's more than meets the eyes with this one." Shiraishi uttered with a smile as he eyed the little bocchan arrogant stance to the two standing behind him in full support.

Atobe merely smiled and viewed him as if he was looking at an item brought to amuse him for the day. He shifted slightly and noted that the frown deepened on the brat's face.

"So you want to stay on the third floor?" Atobe questioned.

"Do you want to stay on this floor?" Ryoma countered. "My answer is yours."

"If I was to concede to that demand brat then you can no longer have the two behind you." Atobe said with a superior smile. "If you can function by yourself for three days and pass the first grading period with a ninety percent or better in all subjects, I will withdraw the summons to toss you out of the third floor and even install your servants back to you as a gracious fall."

"But if I win under that condition you also have to fork over twenty five shares from Atobe corporations to me as compensation for wasting my time." Ryoma said driving the hard bargain as was usual in his grandfather's methods.

"I think not," Atobe said with a frown.

"Scared?" Ryoma asked with a smirk.

"This is under my rules, not yours." Atobe argued.

"The why don't we add that last part only if I score ninety-five percent of better in all my subjects." Ryoma said upping the bet.

Atobe started to deny him the rights again but caught Ryoma's cocky smirk and reconsidered. The brat had sparked fire in Atobe and he'd be damn before the brat spread it all around that the Elites were afraid to bend the rules.

"Up your price more," Atobe intoned. Twenty-five shares wasn't much if Atobe really considered it since that was how much his father usually gave to his loyal high managers in the company. It was like five percent of Atobe corporations which wasn't enough to do any kind of damage.

He had a hard time agreeing because that would pull from his personal shares and give him less control that his parents by five percent and just giving it to the brat was downright aggravating!

Ryoma smiled slowly. "Fine, Shizuka, Kai."

"Hai," both answered politely.

"For the three days you are out of my service, you shall treat Atobe as if he was worthy of being your master." Ryoma said easily.

"Done," Atobe agreed with a grim look.

"Then day one is tomorrow, senpai." Ryoma said turning away. "I hope this room will count as witness to our deal."

Yukimura laughed and took Sanada's hand in his. "Gen… this will be absolutely thrilling."

"Hn…" Sanada merely let out with a frown. This was becoming too out of hand and to make it worst, he HAD to be a part of it.

"I wondered how a spoiled bocchan like him will make it without his right and left hand?" Niou asked watching Ryoma exit as if he was a king.

"Saa… who knows." Fuji answered looking over at Atobe.

"I shall overwork his servants." Atobe decided aloud. "Kabaji, every one of my servants will get three days off for the days those two are working for me and we'll see what they can do for me."

"Usu," Kabaji agreed and Atobe smiled. He'd make sure it was no walk in the park for that little fool and finally, he'd see the terror of facing the KING head-on.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Day one**_

Ryoma sighed as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose slightly. Shizuka and Kai had left him last night to go serve their "new" master for three days and he had stayed up that night getting the latest proposal done. Ryoma got up and headed to his side table to pour himself some more coffee from his coffee maker. It was inconvenient to have to do things himself but it wasn't like he couldn't do it himself.

Glancing at the clock, he noted that it was close to five thirty already and he wasn't going to get any sleep. Doing a couple stretches, Ryoma pulled on a jacket in the midst of his stretches and got ready to go pick up his uniform and breakfast like Shizuka and Kai usually did for him. Opening his door, he was surprised to see a man standing there balancing his breakfast, sheets and uniform in his hands.

"Can I help you?" Ryoma asked looking at the tall man who hair was spiked up like a delinquent but had a silly grin on his face.

"I'm Momoshiro Takeshi but you can call me Momo!" He introduced with a cheerful tone. "Okaa sent me up with your things after hearing about the treatment the richies were giving you."

"Sou…" Ryoma said and though he hated to, he pasted a "happy" smile on his face and thanked the man for his trouble.

"No-no problem!" he stuttered out with a embarrassed grin. It seemed even he was not immune to Ryoma's charm when he put his mind to it.

"Echizen,"

Ryoma turned slightly and saw Shinta coming up the stairs.

"It seems you're handling well." Shinta said watching as Ryoma accepted the breakfast tray and opened the door wider for both. "I thought I'd drop by and tell you a couple of us scholarship students can cut down time for you and grab you stuff so it doesn't get too hard on you to go without your two servants. Of course we have to do this in secret so we don't get targeted as well. "

"Thank you," Ryoma said with another smile directed at Shinta now. "I could use some help if I'm wanting to score well on my tests."

Through all said and done though, Ryoma went into devil mode as soon as he shut the door. Whoever said women weren't knowledge was wrong. Under the direction of Shizuka to be nice to the students and staff, they were willing to make his ends meet for free. All it ever cost was a thank you and smile and THAT was a hell of a lot easier to pay then what his family had him doing on top of his schoolwork. He didn't even mind so much that Atobe flaunted his servants at him in class that day by ordering them to do the most outrageous things for him. He made Ryoma want to laugh when he had heard Atobe tell Shizuka to flip the page of his book for him and for Kai to write his notes for him. How spoiled could one little monkey be?

The Elites on the other hand watched themselves how the little Prince would fare and to their surprise he did what he usually did when he had servants with him. Echizen Ryoma slept in class as usual, laze around during breaks and rarely did anyone see him study.

Atobe, on the other hand was quiet impressed though he would never admit it out loud. The two servants were more competent then his entourage he usually kept around. The maid had his uniform ready for him in the morning and a cup of coffee waiting for him which was delicious. She tidied without being told, and packed his bag for him quickly and efficiently.

The butler had woke him up on time, helped him into his uniform and fixed him without a single flaw as he sometimes found Kabaji and Hiyoshi tended to do when they were lazy. All the dirty clothes and sheets had been taken out and by the time Atobe went to join the others for breakfast. There was nothing left for the two to do except follow him to breakfast where they stood a polite distance away with their marvelous posture and impeccable dress.

"So how are you faring with your new servants since this morning?" Yukimura asked stopping to talk to Atobe who was going to the dorm to rest for his break.

"Good," Atobe said waving the two off farther. "I'm surprised the little brat hasn't broken down by losing his only confidents in the whole school."

"Just good?" Yukimura asked with a raised brow though a smile twitched on his lips.

"Fucking great actually," Atobe said with a frown and lowered tone. "Those two never fucking slip and I never have to tell them how to do their job. I tell them to do the most absurd thing and they don't even question me or look at me weird; they just do it."

"Really?" Yukimura said with a smile as Fuji joined the two.

"It's true," Fuji nodded. "Tezuka and I watched as the maid turned Atobe's pages for him in the book and the butler diligently took notes for him in class."

"And the notes?" Yukimura asked curious now.

"Impeccable," Tezuka admitted as he joined the group. "I copied some of his shorthand notes he took for Atobe."

"Omoshiro, ne? (interesting, right?)" Fuji added with a smile to Yukimura.

Yukimura nodded and chuckled slightly. "Yet why does our King look so disappointed then?"

"Perhaps it is because kitten is not having it hard at all and he can't criticize the kitten's servants since they are impeccable, Efficient and all around superb?" Yukimura asked.

"Must be," Fuji agreed while Atobe's frown deepened.

"If you don't want them I could use them." Tezuka said cutting through their talk.

"No thank you," Atobe said with a frown. "They are mine to command."

"Of course," Yukimura said with a smile on his face now. "After all, they were commanded to give you a worthy master deal."

XxX

_**That Night**_

Perhaps he wanted to know what happened behind the door more than negotiate with the prince. Whatever the real reason may be, he didn't even know himself either; Fuji Syuusuke found himself in front of the little Prince's room. He had felt a slight bit, if any, sorry for the Prince and was about to offer a proposition that night to lend him butler to Ryoma for the next two days since the deal wasn't solid on lending.

But maybe he was thankful for his great mind as well to come up with such a beautiful deal that brought him here to see what he could only describe as a delicious scene.

He had opened the door silently and faced a half naked prince who was on his blue tooth making his own coffee as he spoke in rapid English to the person on the other side of the phone line. The slightly muscled arms to the delectable collarbone that was prominent enough to see was utterly delicious as was the slightly dark green locks that was still damp from his shower to the nonchalant way his voice sounded as he spoke. His slim body was perfect as was the slight abs that could be seen drifting under his boxers… and before Fuji knew it, he found himself twitchingly aroused and the need to become the predator and hunt Ryoma now.

"Like what you see?"

Fuji's eyes snapped open and up to see the prince leaning on the table with the side of his hip facing him now. It seemed his conversation with the person on the phone had finished and those golden eyes hidden behind the glasses were exclusively on him. For some reason it felt right just where they were, as if those eyes should look upon nothing but him and he wanted without a doubt in his body to own that man in every way in that moment.

Did the chiseled god look good or what…

"Cat got your tongue?"

"I love it," Fuji breathed out with a smile. His eyes trailed to the coffee cup Ryoma held in his left hand and wondered if the need to offer his butler was even needed since the room looked pretty tidy and the prince looked very confident that he could fend for himself.

"IS there something I can help you with Tensai?" Ryoma asked with a brow arched shapely up in question. "After all, what can a lowly person like me do to help a Elite who already is a tensai."

"Actually," Fuji said walking forward boldly to trail a finger up Ryoma's arm. "This tensai was just going to offer his butler to render you service in exchange for the two you lost."

"Ah… sou…" Ryoma nodded tilting his head to the side a bit to expose a pure white neck to the tensai's view. IF there was one thing Ryoma recognized it was a predator that saw something he like and his assets on the opposite sex… or same sex in this case.

Ryoma wasn't surprised when the tensai's blue eyes glued itself onto his neck for a few moments before meeting eyes with him in a knowing sense. It seemed they each knew what temptation could be and how to use it.

"I think I can handle being a big boy," Ryoma uttered as he placed his coffee cup down. "But I thank you for the thought." Ryoma finished with a whisper as a seductive smile spread across his lips and he molded his body into the tensai's. Pulling the tensai's head down a fraction, Ryoma pressed his lips against the smooth ones of the tensai's before he opened his lips and the tensai's with one action. Plunging his tongue in teasingly, he swirled once in expertise around the tensai's limp tongue and withdrew with a more modest retreat then his seductive attack.

"That was…" Fuji started after he snapped back to the fact that the kiss had been executed and finished before he could gather hit wits and truly enjoy what he just experienced. It left his body yearning for more.

"Thank you for your concern." Ryoma said with a slight smile before turning away. "Close the door behind you okay? A tensai CAN figure out how to do that right?"

"You are a little brat," Fuji said suddenly

The said "brat" only laughed.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Elsewhere**_

"How could you stay quiet and allow such a trivial thing to occur?" Kiraku's father asked berating his son about the rumors he approached his son with only to find that it was true. "This little prank of the Elites has NOT been approved by the falculty!"

"I know otou, but Atobe-"

"The Atobe heir needs to know the world doesn't revolve around him and his tantrums," Kiraku's father stated.

"I gather the rumors are true then?"

Both turned to see the Vice Principal stroll into the room with a slight smirk on his face.

He was a handsome man and there was no doubt that anyone of the girl students or even the women of the faculty wouldn't willingly climb in bed with him. Why not? He was rumored to be rich, successful, damn good-looking with dark hair and blue piercing eyes from his father and smart.

"I suppose you're amused as usual Kuzuhiko." Kiraku asked.

"Slightly," Morikawa said with a nod, "But the principal is not too happy about this."

"It'll be done in two days when the test scores are revealed." Kiraku promised his father and the Vice Principal.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Day Two**_

Ryoma couldn't remember much after he finished his exam if he was to be honest. He had been exhausted looking over his notes to make sure he knew what the heck to expect on his tests today and taking care of a few bugs in the company all night. By the time he climbed in bed it was three in the morning and he was up and about at five to hear from his grandfather so he barely got any sleep.

Thankfully the school was set up that all exams were taken in one sitting and the rest of the day was a free day so the teacher could grade their work. After finishing the last part of his exam, Ryoma had taken his leave as the first to finish in the class and headed out with every intention of heading back to his room to sleep but on the way there, girls wanted to join him.

"Come on Echizen… I know how to be a very good pillow," one of the third year girls said tracing a finger seductively down the arm of his uniform.

"Thank you for the offer girls but my pillow is by far the best in being a pillow so there is no need for me to replace it." Ryoma said with a lop-sided smile. "But I'm sure dinner might be a better time to ask if I'd like a quickie."

Unknown to Ryoma, who was now strolling away from the blushing girls, Yukimura was laughing at what he had just heard from the mouth of his kitten.

"He's so amusing!" Yukimura declared.

"Hn…" Sanada merely uttered from beside Yukimura. They too were headed to their own rooms after finishing their exams before coming upon this scene with Echizen. If Sanada was to be honest, he was a bit irked and intimidated by Ryoma since everyone is so interested in him; especially his lover. To top off the irritation was the fact that he had mad tennis skills as well.

"Makes you want to play with him thoroughly ne?" Niou said coming up from behind them to watch the little prince head back to the dorm.

"Yes," Yukimura agreed.

"I think I'll go do that," Niou said dashing ahead of them to follow Ryoma.

Yukimura had the mad urge to dash off as well but one look at his lover told him he better not.

"Come now Gen…" Yukimura started with a smile.

**XxX**

"Oi brat," Niou said catching up with Ryoma.

"Hm…. As I recall you are the trickster." Ryoma said with a slight frown. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to show you the private library on the second floor." Niou said with a smile.

"Why do they call you the trickster?" Ryoma countered instead. He was tired but he would never be tired enough o completely let down his guard to a stranger… especially one with such a name.

"Maybe because I like to play too much," Niou said shrugging off the question as if it was one that didn't really apply to his natural behavior.

"Sou…" Ryoma said then suddenly turned around with an innocent smile. "How about we hide in the library and scare Yukimura-senpai?"

"Why would you want to do that?" Niou asked trying not to cringe that he had chosen positively the worse one to prank. There was no escaping Yukimura's wrath and that was a key reason Niou tended not to outright prank the Child of God.

"Because it'll be fun and that's what trickster's do right?" Ryoma questioned.

"True," Niou agreed. "But how will you prank him?" Niou asked suspicious now. How was this amateur going to go about pranking someone like that?

"We'll pretend to make out in the library then when Yukimura-senpai who I heard likes to use the library with his lover hears it, he'll get curious." Ryoma said simply.

"Oh… then what will we do," Niou asked trying to picture the prank in his head now.

"We'll take a picture of his suspicious face and call him a pervert for even thinking of seeing something like that." Ryoma finished. "Easy right?"

"Yeah… but how do you know it'll be him?" Niou asked with an amused grin now.

"Because he and "Emperor" is headed this way." Ryoma said nudging his head back to the people coming towards the dorm.

"Why not!" Niou said with a smile and agreed. "After all, not really everyone has the keys to the library and it'll be fun."

Ryoma nodded and followed behind. He hoped he could stay awake long enough to execute this plan.

**XxX**

"So where do you want to hide?" Niou asked entering the library looking around for a good place.

"Hm…" Ryoma said looking around. "Ah!"

Niou caught Ryoma in his arms and felt his breath catch at how adorable this kid actually was. It must be the gold eyes…

"Sorry,"

"No problem… be careful." Niou said heading towards the back of the private library. "So-"

THUMP

Niou turned around to see the library door firmly shut behind him.

"Ha Ha brat," Niou started back towards the door. "You can't lock a person inside the library if the person has the key!"

"You're right Niou-senpai… but if I had it then you're in trouble right?" Ryoma's amused, muffled voice said through the door.

Niou frowned when he tried the door to find it really locked and the key that had been in his pocket was no longer there.

"BRAT!"

"I'm tired senpai… I'll play with you some other time." Ryoma's voice could be heard saying as it moved farther down the hall.

Niou didn't know if he wanted to throttle the brat or kiss him. The brat was actually fucking brilliant to pretend to fall after seeing him stick the key in his pocket.

**XxX**

Ryoma yawned as he headed down the flight of stairs to get back on the third floor.

"My my kitten… trespassing?"

Ryoma frowned at seeing Sanada and Yukimura heading up the staircase towards him.

"Not really since I was invited," Ryoma corrected. "Do me a favor and take this." Ryoma added tossing the key towards them.

Sanada caught it and recognized the library key in his hands.

"How'd you get this?" Sanada asked with a frown.

"Found it on my way out of the library," Ryoma fibbed a bit. It technically was true if you didn't count the stealing from the Trickster's pocket.

Both watched Ryoma head down the third floor's hall before they continued on their way up not thinking too much of the key in Sanada's hand.

"It seems you two finished your exams as well."

They both turned to see the rest of the Elites heading up the stairs."

"We did," Yukimura agreed with a smile. "How did you all do?"

"Definite pass," Most echoed. In their casual talk down the hall only Shizuka noted the muffled voice on the other side of the library door and leaned forward to bug her "master."

"Excuse me Atobe-sama, but there seems to be someone in the library screaming." Shizuka said stopping the Elites chatter. Indeed a muffled voice over the heavy oak door drifted through and suddenly Yukimura couldn't help laughing and Sanada looked pissed.

"What?" Fuji asked not getting the weird situation.

Sanada didn't bother explaining as he walked forward and opened the door to reveal Niou a bit riled on the other side of the door stepping out.

"Niou?" Tezuka said with a raised brow.

Yukimura burst into a loud, bright laughter and couldn't stop as he leaned against the wall with mirth filling his eyes.

"Seiichi," Sanada reprimanded before handing Niou his library key.

"How'd you get locked in there?" Kiraku asked.

"I need to screw up a little brat for that stunt…" Niou uttered taking his key as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Did kitten really lock you in there?" Yukimura asked with a wide smile.

"bocchan?" Yagyuu questioned.

Niou nodded almost unwillingly. He hated to be outwitted and put in an embarrassing situation but there was no other way but to admit the truth.

"We should punish him," Sanada said with a deep frown before Atobe agreed whole-heartedly.

"We should be nice and treat him courteously," Yagyuu said fixing the collar of his uniform.

"I don't care what you guys want to do with him," Shiraishi admitted. "I just want to play a set in tennis with him.

"We'll unfortunately have to do as Yagyuu-senpai says," Kiraku said through a sigh. "My father and the vice principal has told me to play nice with Echizen and release the restrictions by tomorrow or Oji with interfere."

"I agree that we need to back off as well." Tezuka added with a stoic nod. "Using our power for something like this is useless and proves nothing."

"What do you think Fuji?" Oshitari asked turning to look at the tensai who would usually come up with a great counter plan by now.

"I'm more interested as to why this little problem has even reached the Principal and Oji to concern themselves with. They've always been so lenient with everyone else and suddenly they interfere." Fuji said with a small smile

"He's got blackmail on the principal maybe?" Niou said looking very interested, forgetting slightly about his little problem.

"Or maybe he knows more about us then we know of him…" Oshitari said suddenly worried that they are the prey rather than the predator.

"So we are being hunted?" Yukimura asked in a thrilled voice.

"We are at a disadvantage," Tezuka said with a slight frown.

Atobe suddenly started feeling edgy. What if Oshitari was right?

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Ryoma**_

Ryoma smiled slightly as he put in the finishing touches on his work. It was well deserved after so much time spent on it.

KNOCK KNOCK

Ryoma glanced up and removed his reading glasses before getting up to head to the door. Opening the door, he smile recognizing who it was.

"Momoshiro-san!"

"I brought your sheets and clothes up so you won't have to get them tomorrow." She said with a smile. "But by tomorrow I'll be seeing Shizuka being responsible for you againright?"

"Aa," Ryoma agreed. "Thank you for all your hard extra work as well t=during these last few days."

"Nonsense!" she scoffed.

"I made your son work as well-"

"He needs to!" Momoshiro said with a wave. "He doesn't nearly work as hard as you do into the night like this."

"Could I trouble him to do one thing for me tonight as well?" Ryoma questioned.

"Of course, I'll send him up in a bit."

"Thank you again," Ryoma said with kindness and a convincing smile as she left the room. As soon as the door shut though, Ryoma got serious again and went back to his desk. Putting his glasses back on, he looked at the in-between assignments and papers he was doing on the side and vouched for finishing his chess game he had been playing against himself on the laptop instead.

"Checkmate."

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Day Three**_

"You going to miss them?" Fuji asked Atobe as he watched Shizuka and Kai perform flawless duties for Atobe without being asked to. The other Elites gathered around as well to see if they were solid as usual of better.

"I will," Aotbe grudgingly admitted. "They are highly efficient and they are more capable then his whole team of servants sometimes."

"Why don't you double their pay?" Fuji asked thinking of how Atobe acquired Aya, his head maid in the first place.

"I already tried but they both politely refused." Atobe said with a frown. "I even tried to seduce the maid."

"Really? "Fuji asked with a look to Atobe. "How'd that go?"

"She told me I'd regret it." Atobe admitted.

"Well," Fuji said looking at the digital test board in the assembly hall start to light up. "We'll see if you do regret your deal right now."

No one spoke as it was all clear what Echizen's score was. All across the board he retained a ninety-eight percent or better in all subjects which meant he won.

"I'll expect the share transfer on my desk by the end of the day Monkey king" Ryoma stated as he walked forward through the crowd towards the circle where the elites were gathered.

"That's impossible! How did you have time when all you did was sleep!" Atobe sputtered out.

"I have my ways." Ryoma said with a superior smirk. Shizuka and Kai bowed stiffly to Atobe and returned to their master's side before Ryoma spoke again.

"It was nice doing business with you."

Yukimura chuckled at that and quite suddenly papers dropped from the ceiling onto the students and around the circle of Elites.

Each othe their eyes widened as they were faced with a collection of scandalous photos of all the Elites in bed or other compromising situations with an unidentifiable women.

" Chizu ne Senpai- Tachi." Ryoma said with a evil smile and it would be the first time all of them saw Ryoma in his Demon mode

Niou laughed as he looked at the convincing photos "He's good."

Yukimura, on the other hand, despite being made fun of in the photo was looking forward to the next match.

Everyone around them was just trying to figure out who this unidentifiable girl could be..

* * *

A/N: The fun just never ends when provoking Ryoma :D

Do review for more!


	6. Provoking A Tensai

A/N: You all hungered for it, so here it is!

As requested, Character list is on the bottom.

* * *

tat16 – Honestly, Kai was a name I randomly picked out for my OC with no basis actually. I appreciate reviews and if it's only once in a while, it's better than never so I'm motivated to write more and bring a new chapter faster.

yukichan10- Fuji unknowingly put himself into a very good position and I believe the Elites may just be regretting seeing Ryoma in demon mode. Atobe will sit it out for a while but for sure but we'll lapse into what his daddy had to say in a couple chapters.

Aoichan60- Atobe's image isn't bad. He's just confident in himself and rarely does he take the time to think about the other person but himself. A narcissist trait but he is who he is and I adore him for it. He just happened to be the one to provoke Ryoma's demon side but I believe he knows better now than to jump in head first without prior knowledge.

PheonixShadow- Well you know Ryoma and his pride on being looked down. More often than not, people get to discover there's always more than meets the eyes with Ryoma.

* * *

**Loving You**

**Rated:** M

**Summary:** Love is never a priority in Ryoma's life, it's a burden. Sadly he can't seem to get away from it.

* * *

**Ch VI: Provoking A Tensai**

**Recap~ **

"Each of their eyes widened as they were faced with a collection of scandalous photos of all the Elites in bed or other compromising situations with an unidentifiable women.

"Chizu ne Senpai-Tachi." Ryoma said with an evil smile and it would be the first time all of them saw Ryoma in his Demon mode

Niou laughed as he looked at the convincing photos "He's good."

Yukimura, on the other hand, despite being made fun of in the photo was looking forward to the next match.

Everyone around them was just trying to figure out who this unidentifiable girl could be.

_**Ryoma**_

"I congratulate you two on your wonderful photography and modeling." Ryoma said in a flippant tone to imitate the Elites as they walked into his room enjoying a job well done from their morning.

"I'm afraid it was due to your undying devotion to editing." Kai said with a sardonic smirk.

"I believe it was to your skills Ryoma that it came out so well," Shizuka added. "It amazes me to see how one can do so much in such little time."

"You shouldn't underestimate me," Ryoma said with a satisfied smile. "You really should just marry me Shizuka; think of the little prodigies we'd have."

"You mean brats," Kai corrected with a emphasized tone.

"Don't be jealous of my talents Kai," Ryoma said with a smug look.

"What benefits you from the twenty-fives shares you asked for?" Shizuka asked as she checked the time to make sure she had time before picking up Ryoma's lunch.

"Yeah, that's like five percent or less…" Kai said with a quick calculation. "Worth nothing really unless you want a little income but you don't need that."

"The significance is great if you see it through my eyes." Ryoma said propping his cheek up with his fist.

"Let's take the company shares through one thousand shares." Ryoma stated. "Share holders are what make companies run. About two hundred shares is all employee owned, Two hundred is owned by other businesses who invests in it and a hundred and fifty is open to the public with the remaining four hundred and fifty is split among the people who own the company itself and whom they see fit. "

"Go on," Shizuka prompted. If there was one thing about Ryoma that never ceased to amaze her was the fact that Ryoma liked to stay two steps ahead of anything he did; sometimes more if he was bored enough.

"Then we'll say you have to have twenty five shares in the least to be part of any decision on their board of directors." Ryoma said with a smile.

"That twenty five allowed you to be part of the decision-making." Kai said catching on.

"BUT," Ryoma said with an even more evil gleam. "Say I already had seventy shares and added that in."

"Meaning you now control ninety five shares in all, making you as important as an owner in the company."Shizuka finished with awe.

"Exactly," Ryoma said with a triumphant smirk. "The Atobe's have always guarded their four hundred and fifty stocks well to family with a hundred and fifty stocks to each. They've always made sure no business owner or rival ever gets more than seventy shares so they don't have to consult them for any smaller base decision on the business direction."

"But if you have that many you have a definite say." Kai finished.

"That I do," Ryoma said with a smile.

"But how does this transfer work without giving away your identity?" Shizuka asked with a slight frown.

"It's called transfer of ownership," Ryoma stated. "Selling stocks happen all the time."

"So you'll slyly sell to your grandfather making the Takeuchi's have the upper hand?" Shizuka asked following his line of thought now.

"Exactly," Ryoma said with a satisfied smirk. "Do fetch my lunch while I get this last proposal down Shizu-chan."

Shizuka nodded and stopped only long enough to ask if Kai wanted anything. The pause would've passed anyone else's attention but Ryoma caught on to the subtleness.

Ryoma smiled as his hands danced across the keyboard in work while thinking that it was about time Kai and Shizuka started getting along more. They were going to have to work together and like it if Ryoma's plans were to settle out.

**XxX**

_**Shizuka**_

Shizuka tried to act normally. So they had bonded a bit in having to share space and set up scandalous scenes over a three day period, that didn't mean that she always had to be nice to the egotistic butler all the time.

Sure, she hated how Ryoma's butler sometimes acted more like the young master than the real one but he had his good points as well. For those good points she wouldn't mind doing him a couple favors… yeah, that about justifies this break in her strict routine. Ryoma wouldn't ever have to know just how sexual they had gotten for Ryoma's plans of domination.

**XxX**

_**Kai**_

Kai, on the other hand, was finding it a bit difficult to deal with this new option. Making out with the maid and finding she's pretty cute behind the serious glasses and stern expression was bad. He couldn't look her straight in the eyes anymore after seeing her pull such moves on the Elites and even on him!

Hell, he was going to man up and admit straight up that there was a definite attraction between Shizuka and him. BUT, Ryoma didn't have to know that. After all, he was usually too busy to realize such small trivial things anyways.

**XxX**

_**Fuji**_

_**Two days after the incident**_

"Hnnnn…" Fuji uttered underneath his breath as he eyed the computer screen carefully for a way through as his fingers hit code after code in trying to find out more about this mysterious Echizen Ryoma. Oshitari had tried his hand in using the police and general school system for information but had been unable to find anything.

"Why doesn't the school have anything on him?" Fuji asked himself out loud in slight frustration. A first class hacker was getting nowhere when he knew for sure this boy was definitely someone. It was a requirement to have information for students in order to attend this school yet everything about this boy was encrypted as if he was the prime minister himself.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**The Elites**_

"I can't move a step without someone questioning me who was the girl in the photo with me." Tezuka said with an irritated look.

"I second that," Sanada said with a similar look of irritation at being on lockdown.

"Of all the disgusting, downgrading this brat can do, he decides to humiliate ore-sama by placing ore-sama in bed, seemingly naked and holding a woman so close as if she was my girlfriend!" Atobe ranted with a pissed look. "How dare he humiliate all of us actually!"

"At least she's hot even with her face blurred out." Niou said with a smile. "That body is very nice in my opinion."

"But he does so very well," Yukimura piped up from where he was carefully studying all the pictures of them. "I've come to the conclusion with Syuusuke that these pictures are real."

"WHAT!" Atobe said leaning forward with appall. "I've NEVER had a woman in my bed here!"

"If you would hold your anger," Yukimura said with a small smile, "I'll explain."

"Do so, "Niou said with a smile. "I'd like to know how you all deemed these real."

"On a closer look, it is us who are in these pictures." Yukimura confirmed. "The small editing is the fact that the woman was sometimes placed in instead of the person who was actually with you."

"So you're saying he pasted a random woman in?" Niou asked with close interest in the pictures now. "But how do you explain my picture where she is half naked straddling me in my bed or the one where she lays beside me?"

"Don't you usually have your girls join you?" Kiraku asked knowing that the trickster was a huge womanizer as well.

"I go to their bed, I don't invite." Niou stated.

"Not even when they offer in your room?" Sanada asked sarcastically. He had seen a woman drop her skirt in Niou's room before.

"I finish them and send them on their way." Niou said with a smile. "Jealous of my capacity Gen?"

"He shouldn't be," Yukimura cut in with a confusing smile. "As for your picture I can say their definitely was a woman with you."

"How was he able to do this?" Niou asked with a look of new respect for this little brat.

"He could have a way to sneak in and out of our rooms and snap those pictures." Kiraku put in.

"The only real big editing is the fact that the woman face was blurred." Yukimura said.

Yukimura himself thought it was pretty clever that his was one when Sanada and he had been at it. He had been watching Sanada strip but in the photo he had been watching an anonymous girl give him a strip tease.

Honestly he was so thrilled at his kitten he could rape him in happiness. He turned his head slightly and noted his lover's annoyance over the whole ordeal. He knew Gen was more annoyed that he had been caught in the act of fucking Yukimura but the picture had been cleverly manipulated so that he was doing a girl instead.

"I still like mine." Niou admitted through the Elites debating. "If bocchan was sneaking in and out, he at least knows how to photograph me well and his model is hot!"

"I must give this girl props for getting naked with most of us." Shiraishi said with a smile.

"Was she really naked though?" Yukimura questioned. "I for one am a light sleeper so he obviously knew that since all my photos are in daylight while some of you have dirtier pictures."

"I too am a light sleeper," Oshitari said with a slight frown. "Yet he was able to place a girl straddled on me in the library while I was napping."

"I personally liked the one where you are working at your desk and she was sucking you off underneath." Niou stated examining it with a wide smile. "Who really was under there?"

"No one!" Oshitari snapped a bit harshly. "I don't usually do my business in the open like that."

Tezuka merely let out a sigh as he stayed quiet while everyone argued. He had no comment for his shower scene with a woman. Clearly he had been with Fuji but it had been manipulated into a woman. As well as the one where he had been doing homework in the library next to the girl holding hands as if they were a couple.

Kiraku didn't like it either. His picture fucking a certain girl on his student body desk was real but the one with him in bed fondling the girl was completely fake. He would never do that and now his father was breathing down his back about being more discreet if he needed to take care of that.

"Well I for one wish mine was true," Shiraishi said with a grin. "I wouldn't mind really making out with this hot girl or shoving my cock in her mouth in a classroom for this matter."

Even Shiraishi had no idea how bocchan had been able to do the make out scene but the scene with him near the window looking down with a smile had been for an entirely different reason than the pretty girl poised on her knees about to give him a blow job.

"I for one am impressed as well." Yagyuu offered up with a slow smile. "I've always been a gentleman and he portrayed me in a better light than many of you."

Yagyuu's hadn't been that bad at all. His had showed a peaceful scene of himself reading but a girl leaned against him lovingly as she read as well. Then there was one where he took a nap lying on the sofa in the student council room but the woman was safely cuddled in his arms.

"Mine was tastefully executed as well," Fuji said coming into the room with a small smile. His had been executed to a level where he was headed to his room with a girl in tow. Then there was another against the wall which Fuji recognized as his affair with the teacher... only it wasn't the teacher in the photo.

"Gave up as well?" Oshitari asked knowing what he had been doing.

"I wouldn't say that…" Fuji said taking a seat. "Let's call it a minor break to think up another way around the wall."

"Well I would say we've been mightily harassed by all about who these woman are right?" Atobe asked.

Everyone agreed though different expressions clouded their face.

"Who said kitten used a different woman for each of us?" Yukimura asked with a widening smile.

"Are you trying to say it's all the same woman?" Kiraku asked.

"Let's say," Fuji said with a smile that mirrored Yukimura's "yes because the shape of her body is the same."

"Damn…I want to know who she really is!" Shiraishi said with a grin.

Niou laughed and put the papers down. "I see!"

"See what?" Tezuka asked with a lift of his eyebrow.

"I would too," Sanada joined in with a frown.

"Who she is! A remarkable woman all right!" Niou said through his laughter.

"Who?" Atobe asked irritated that he wasn't getting it.

"Why, it would be the beautiful maid who served you for exactly three days and had access to our layout for her master." Fuji concluded with a slight chuckle.

"So can we say my kitten is so clever to be three steps ahead of us?" Yukimura said with smile.

"I give up on messing with him," Atobe said with a shake of his head.

**XxX**

_**Cafe**_

Ryoma thanked Akutagawa as he accepted the frappe.

Shinta was still in the process of introducing him to the scholarship students that worked on campus. As troublesome as it was to endure a crowd of people, it had its advantages as well.

He found out that Shinta knows a lot about the Elites on the down low… especially since he was a close friend to Kojiro Saeki. He was the student body secretary and happened to be the "Tensai's" childhood friend. It was a good way to dig in deep if he should need to. After all, it was their move from his checkmate and he should expect anything as Shinta told him. Supposedly Elites don't take losses sitting down but neither did he.

**XxX**

_**Ryoma's room**_

"You're the one making it obvious," Shizuka told Kai as she tided the room and got Ryoma's clothes ready for bed.

"Am not," Kai said from where he sat.

"You're not a freaking virgin Kai." Shizuka said with a shake to her head. "It was normal for you to react like that seeing me half naked."

"That wasn't half!" Kai defended. "It was definitely more than half!"

"I still had my underwear on," Shizuka reminded him.

"Do you think we're crazy for doing all that for our bratty master?" Kai asked.

"It wasn't much," Shizuka said pushing it off. "Drugging them was easy as a pie. Your photography skills are to be commended though."

"You had to crawl in bed with "ore-sama" and into his arms." Kai said with a small smirk.

"He wasn't my favorite either but I just had to seem naked in that one." Shizuka reminded him.

"You were bare for Niou's" Kai reminded her.

"You said it needed to be more extreme and not so similar," Shizuka shot back. "I had my bottom half on and he was already naked if you would remember."

How could he forget.

They had to get it done and when she stripped, HE had gotten hard. So there he was, posing her as she climbed in with nothing but a thin thong and thigh high stockings into the "Trickster's" bed. He had been sleeping nude as Kai preferred as well and as she settled on top of him, they had to wait as Niou had demanded a kiss before Shizuka could throw her head back and seem like she was riding him with a huge smile on Niou's perverted face as well. It looked as if he was enjoying the heat of the moment rather than having a very good dream.

The next shot that was a keep out of the ten or so they took was the one where she laid beside him and he had thrown an arm carelessly over her.

Moving along the halls after that, they got into Kiraku's room where they had thought they would be caught when he suddenly sat up in bed when Shizuka was creeping in but it turned out to be him only readjusting and pulling her in to fondle her breast. They had an easier time escaping him after that than the Niou but nonetheless, it was a pain.

They had then gone to Yukimura's room but he hadn't drunk enough of his coffee for he had been awake with Sanada-san. So he had snapped the pictures of them and later on their own, he had Shizuka give him the strip tease so that Ryoma could cut and paste her in. Thankfully in each room upstairs, they all had the same decoration and it wasn't hard to find that same background.

After that, they had headed to Shiraishi where Shizuka got caught up in a heavy make out session with him then with time running against them, they had seen Fuji leading Tezuka into his room. A quick decision left them sneaking in and getting shower photos of the two of them.

The other pictures had to be done on their own time within the three days they had access to the upper floors. That meant roaming together with Shizuka and catching the other Elites during their naps or duties. Shizuka had to pantomime the oral with Oshitari and Shiraishi, the scene with Tezuka doing homework in the library, Reading next to Yagyuu, and Fuji's fuck on the wall to "protect" the teacher whom he really was doing. Otherwise, he was impressed that Shizuka had been able to straddle Oshitari without waking him in the library and lay beside Yagyuu on the student council sofa to have him actually put an arm around her convincingly.

The only picture they hadn't edited and only blurred out the face was when mister Student Body President was pumping away in a girl on top of his desk. That had been lucky and Kai had gotten a good shot.

"Nonetheless," Shizuka interrupted his thoughts with a quick look. "Ryoma had the hardest job fixing the pictures and pasting me on in the ones where I had to pantomime."

Kai nodded. That was true.

If there was one thing Kai didn't have patience was having to do the fine details in things like this. Ryoma had been meticulous in getting everything right and at first glance everything was convincing. Kai couldn't believe he was such a great photographer in some of those shots after seeing the final product.

"I don't think Ryoma should know about some stuff though," Kai mentioned trying not to think to much on their one night stand.

"He hasn't asked but you are the one making it very obvious something is not right." Shizuka said with a sigh. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty for your information!" Kai said with a frown.

"It makes me feel that much better that the person who needed it is of age for me not to be child molester." Shizuka stated bluntly as she continued to tidy up the room.

"Just how old are you then?" Kai demanded.

"Twenty," Shizuka said easily. "I have to wonder why someone only two years older than Ryoma would be less immature about this than Ryoma would be himself."

"I'm not being immature about this," Kai defended. "I'm just saying we shouldn't complicate things for him since he's having a hard enough time trying to adjust to school."

"Well," Shizuka said looking at him straight on now. "I won't say anything, I have nothing to gain from saying anything because it was consensual… just in case though, should I fear this Kyoko-chan as someone who would hunt me down?"

"Kyoko?"

"That's what you muttered after falling asleep. I figure she was the girlfriend." Shizuka said with a slight shrug.

"No…" Kai said as his face hardened.

Shizuka didn't comment about it again. The woman was probably an ex-girlfriend who brought bad memories. A slight twinge of jealousy passed through Shizuka unexpectedly. She never had anyone memorable in all her twenty years… not even her first was worth remembering.

**XxX**

_**Teacher's office**_

"I'm sure the chatter of those pictures is all every single one of you has been hearing about." Kiraku asked sitting down with a sigh. "My son denied those pictures of himself and those girls."

"It's disrupting class these days." Ryuzaki said with a sigh as she graded her student's math tests. "It's got the school eyeing every girl in suspicion since it DOES deal with those students."

"On another note, I heard it was Echizen who gathered and spread it." Banji put in as he came into the room with his usual smile.

"Why would you say that Banji?" Ryuzaki asked with a raised brow.

"Hes the only one the Elites have been picking on," Banji said through a chuckle. "He's the only one with a reason to retaliate against them if you ask me."

"Well I guess they deserve it if it's from him." Kiraku said through a sigh. "They've been ruling the school for almost three years now without a challenge to their power since their first year here."

"Your son being a brat to you?" Sakaki asked coming in to hear the last part of Kiraku's sentence.

"Not so much as annoyingly correct Sakaki" Kiraku admitted. "How are the students during music?"

"Fine actually." Sakaki said taking a seat at his desk. "Echizen plays the piano well."

"I heard he's good at a lot of things actually," Ayase said with a smile. She had been listening quietly to all the comments of her newest student in homeroom with interest.

"He's quite cheeky," Ryuzaki admitted. "The boy sleeps through math sometimes."

"Better that than all the time," Kimura piped up from where she sat grading papers as well. "The boy speaks perfect English and scores only perfect scores but sleeps through the whole class."

"Are you not attractive enough to hold his attention?"Matsumoto asked the English teacher with a slow smile.

"I believe that's inappropriate to question on Matsumoto-sensei."Wantanabe said from where he sat.

"I would agree on the inappropriateness of that," Hanamura said pushing her glasses up as she shifted in her chair to cross her legs.

"He does well in my class," Kurobe stated from where he sat. "His Japanese and calligraphy is beautiful."

"Well he sounds like a joy to have," Morikawa said with a grin. "It's too bad I'm not his counselor since he's a first year."

"I claim that spot joyfully," Banji said with a smile. "Sadly he doesn't come to me at all."

"Then I'd say we aren't missing out on much at all," Itaru said from where he sat. "But you have your hands full don't you Morikawa?"

"Why would you say that?" Morikawa asked with a smile.

"All the Elites are third years and as their counselor, you should be directing them to their future." Itaru reminded him.

"Sadly I'm in the same boat as Banji on that," Morikawa said with a slight smile. "The rarely come to me for advice."

"If you all are done discussing, shall we gather for the real reason we're all meeting up?"Ishikawa asked walking in with the Principal.

"Go on," Hanamura said with a smile.

"Well, Takeda, our school nurse has announced her retirement." Takeda said.

"So your aunt is retiring." Everyone summed up the principal's speech.

"Well she is pushing eighty this year." Ryuzaki added.

"Right, so we have a replacement coming in. She's younger but my aunt has nothing but good to say about her." Takeda said with a smile.

"If you want principal, I can show her around when she gets here." Morikawa said with a grin.

"I don't think so," Takeda said with a good-natured smile. "I'm going to let Yuya take care of it."

"He's so straight-laced though," Morikawa said with a smile in the direction on the Vice Principal.

"Exactly why he'll be the one." Takeda said sternly. "I can't have you seducing all the teachers."

"I do not," Morikawa defended.

"Ojii would say otherwise," Ryuzaki reminded him.

Laughter filled the room but Ishikawa watched them all calmly.

He knew he was one the youngest in the room and that he held one of the most important positions as well. They joked around with him and though he seemed always serious, he let down his guard quite often as well.

He liked working here. The atmosphere was pretty calm for the most part and everyone seemed to get along. Although Tetsuo, the principal was pretty useless in most situations, Yuya knew he got hired because of him. Tetsuo was his older brother's classmate and friend in university so Yuya got a boost but that didn't stop him from doing what he could to make respectable men and ladies of the kids who enrolled here. He was here to prove his worth after all and give his all.

**XxX**

_**Ryoma**_

_**June**_

_**Two months since Ryoma's enrollment**_

Ryoma smiled as he closed his eyes in content as the brownie flowed down his throat in warmth and the milk pushed the rest of the just baked brownie down.

"Good?"

"Very," Ryoma said with a sweet smile to Momoshiro-san. She was a wonderful baker as well as housekeeper. In Ryoma's opinion, this was worth the trouble of having to greet and be nice to people he would usually ignore. The perks of knowing the staff well were getting all the goodies first.

To make his time even better, his life had become more peaceful with the Elites on cool down with those photos. Been a good month and a half since the release of his photos and girls were still suspicious of one another about who could the ladies could possibly be.

Personally, Ryoma thought those big0headed people have figured out who it was but they were probably chastened and sulking in getting caught. After all, Ryoma had all the originals saved and some poses were very real without any acting needed.

"Echizen!" Momo greeted as he came up the road from where their bus dropped them off.

Ryoma nodded his greeting to both him and the man that followed. He had come to know his senpai's pretty well though he held a title over them.

Momo-senpai was hard-headed at times but he was cheerful and nice most of the time.

Kaidoh-senpai was more on the quiet type who spoke rarely and didn't make a spectacle of himself like Momo-senpai seemed to do.

Together they made the best and worst team in Ryoma's opinion. When butting heads they could be the worst rivals but the few times they worked together in Ryoma's opinion; they got the job decently done.

"Echizen…"

Ryoma turned his attention to the two girls who were passing and greeted him. He could assume the one on the right was a young mistress and the other was a scholarship student from the way they stood and how they held their heads indicated they were at a position where he should know them.

"Kai?" Ryoma said never taking his eyes off of the girls as he spoke.

"Kitazono Kotona, seventeen, Student council vice president, the only daughter to Kitazono Ayumi and Nobuo. She has four older brothers and attends Mitsukawa to avoid them from coddling her. Her family owns several TX stations in Tokyo." Kai said with precision. "Masashi Mitsuki, seventeen, student council member and scholarship student. She's the only daughter of a normal businessman and a housewife. They strive to give their talented daughter a better lot in life."

"Sou…Shizuka?"

"Kitazono Kotona, Proud, stubborn, and not afraid to tell people how she feels. She's currently romantically attached to the Student Council President as you well know and spends her time advancing her social life." Shizuka started without a single hitch or hesitation. "Masashi Mitsuki, driven, smart, and has impressive interior decorating skills. She spends time perfecting her skills, advancing in her studies, and advancing her social life within the school though she should probably aim more towards some Elites and less towards others if she wants good connections for the future."

"Heh…"Ryoma said before he nodded his greeting finally to them.

"Impressive knowledge you have on us," Kotona said with a frown.

"I like to think I employ the best." Ryoma said easily.

"Spy?" Mitsuki said looking at Kai with a similar frown.

"I wouldn't say that," Ryoma said with a sigh. "Do I have business with the student council?"

"Not at all," Kotona said with a small smile now. "I just thought I'd greet a formidable man today."

"I'm glad you can see one if you can't appreciate one." Ryoma stated with slight arrogance to see if the girls would react. He really shouldn't pick a fight but in all honesty, he was bored.

"Is that an insult?" Kotona asked with a raised brow.

"Is that how you took it?" Ryoma asked with a similar expression. She was a minute away from huffing and being offended but he didn't care.

"You haven't seen how scary our Elites can get." Mitsuki warned. "You're lucky to be still here after your prank."

Ryoma merely shrugged and gave the girls a charming I-don't-give-a-damn smile before he stood. "They're lucky I have a sense of humor and play with them."

"I would say you can amuse them but don't upset them." Kotona said with a sigh. "They tend to disrupt the whole school for their pleasure and you are the perfect one to accompany them."

"Then I hope they can contain themselves because I was raised to throw something that's been thrown at you back." Ryoma said turning to walk away giving a half hearted salute in goodbye without looking back at the girls.

"You really fear nothing huh?" Shinta asked joining Ryoma on his walk to the dorms.

"What is there to fear?" Ryoma asked with a slight smile. "Studying for the test in Japanese?"

Shinta nodded.

"I'm headed to my room to take a nap before the rest of classes resume." Ryoma said with a sigh.

"Do you never study?" Shinta asked with a raised brow though his lips rose slightly in a smile.

"I do," Ryoma said with a "serious" nod, "Although it's no one's business when I do get around to it."

"He doesn't bother you?" Kai asked after getting far enough away from the boy.

"No," Ryoma admitted.

"Does he amuse you?" Shizuka asked from his other side.

"He has real potential… I like." Ryoma said with a smile.

"Potential…" Kai said with a ghost of a smile. That had been how Ryoma and he had met and become friends. Ryoma had proclaimed him a likeable one after his first day at school and they had been friends since then.

"Reminds me of how you use to trail me," Ryoma said smugly to Kai as an afterthought after seeing Kai's fond memory of him.

"I recalled a different childhood." Kai said wirily back.

"WAHHH! You're Koshimae!(A misreading in Kanji of Ryoma's last name)" A boy said hopping over the guard rail of the garden to land in front of Ryoma.

Ryoma didn't say anything as he eyes the boy. His cheerful expression and reddish brown hair stood out with the huge Momo-senpai grin.

"You-" Ryoma started.

"Ah! Gomen (sorry)" The boy said with a boy in apology. "Tooyama Kintarou from Osaka!"

"Tooyama…" Ryoma repeated.

"Yeah!" Tooyama said with a smile. "I saw your tennis match and was hyped up! You're supposed to be a first year too but you're so smart! I'm only really good at physical stuff!" Tooyama admitted with a huge grin.

"Maybe we can catch a match sometime then?" Ryoma said in dismissal.

'Really? YATTA!(I did it)" Tooyama said with a powerful jump in happiness.

Ryoma merely shook his head at the enthusiastic male and continued on. It seemed he was going to have to deal with more and more of these encounters now that he had slightly blown his cover for animosity at the academy.

**XxX**

_**Ryoma's room**_

_**That night before dinner**_

"You should never jeopardize yourself because of a wanton." Shizuka lectured as she followed Ryoma around the room.

"Matsumoto-sensei was willing!" Ryoma protested remembering how the Home Ec. Teacher had no qualms having him show her thing or two in sexuality.

"Just because a woman can't keep her legs shut shouldn't mean you should venture." Shizuka bit out.

"You're just angry because you had to watch a member of your sex fall so low." Ryoma said with a frown as he took a seat at his computer and got ready to do his business work.

"I watch member or YOUR sex fall everyday and you help them fall." Shizuka reminded Ryoma with a frown.

"Kai didn't mind," Ryoma said trying to turn the object of her disapproval away from him.

"I don't think-" Kai started only to have Shizuka look at him to see his opinion on the make-out session Ryoma had just finished five minutes prior to entering their dorm.

"Well?" Shizuka asked.

"I'm a guy…" Kai edged. "What's not to like?"

"I would like a work with you in the next room Kai!" Shizuka stormed out after a fierce frown overtook her face.

She removed her glasses and set them down while Ryoma tried not to say anything. When Shizuka took off her fake glasses she got into turbo mode and he was glad he turned the tide. Seeing Kai look at him for help, Ryoma decided to save himself instead and set his "reading" glasses on to indicate he was going to ignore them and start in on his business.

"I really don't-"

"IN HERE NOW!" Shizuka said firmly yet it seemed as if she barked it out with the intense wave of anger sent out.

Kai sighed and entered. He had no idea why Ryoma decided to offer him as bait and then turn his back as he was being tossed into the witch lair.

"You're being unreasonable right-"Kai started but never finished. Shizuka had pulled her blouse apart to reveal perfectly shaped breasts not nearly the size on those of the Home Ec. Teacher but decently sized.

"So these are not as good as those to you men?" Shizuka asked with a dangerously soft tone.

Kai opened his mouth but decided against it. If he said more it'd cost more problems so he did the only thing Ryoma and he knew to do when faced with a pissed woman who wasn't related to you or your mother…. Kiss her.

It caught her by surprise for sure but only for a moment before the anger was once more present in the kiss and the hard, surprise kiss turned out to be a harsh, make-out for the upper hand. It quickly escalated as Kai pulled her closer and Shizuka didn't resist as she dug her hands into his hair to pull him closer. It definitely was far from over for them at this point now that it had got this far.

Meanwhile Ryoma sighed as he glanced up from his work to realize his servants still weren't back from their talk after two hours.

"I guess I'll just serve myself since my servants only serve their own needs!" Ryoma announced slightly irritated but more so happy about the outcome. It was time they started being closer with one another anyways… even if it had to be to relieve each other's hormones first. After all; not all love story's started out with a perfect vision of "the one".

Kai and Shizuka ignored the comment on the other side of the door as the continued to cuddle in Shizuka's bed. Both thought he deserved to serve himself for the night for the things he had put them through. This was his fault after all.

**XxX**

_**Fuji**_

_**Dinner**_

There was no better time to attack then when the hunter least expected it in Fuji's opinion. He had, as Oshitari had said, given up on finding anything on his prince on the school and Japan's database for that matter. He had given it his all for two months so it was time to enter enemy territory and establish something. Giving a quick look around, Fuji enter his room and shut the door softly behind him. He listened for a bit as he made sure the room was empty before he ventured in farther.

The last time he was in the room, he hadn't spent the time to look around because he had been more focused n the delicious morsel in front of him half-naked. Now he was impressed by how cozy third floor could actually be despite the smaller rooms. Not knowing how fast the prince would eat, Fuji got down to business when his eyes connected to the laptop that was on the desk. Slipping a small chip from his pocket, he slipped it into the laptop and moved it back to its original position.

He had to be careful not to leave his markings around the room after all if he wanted to hack his prince's laptop without his knowledge.

**XxX**

_**Ryoma's room**_

Ryoma yawned as he strolled into his room and sunk into his chair pulling his laptop screen up. He turned it on and suddenly frowned.

"Hnn…"

"What is it?" Kai asked coming over in curiosity.

"Something's a little off…" Ryoma said as he sat up straighter with a narrowed look.

"Like?" Shizuka asked coming over as well.

"Didn't you both hear the hitch in the beginning?" Ryoma asked.

"Only a man whose entire life revolves around his computer would know." Kai said with a shake of his head.

Ryoma frown deepened as he entered his computer and searched for anything out of the ordinary. Everything ran accordingly though with no more hitches after the startup that Ryoma had slightly heard. Fiddling a bit more and with observing his laptop, Ryoma located a small chip connected to his computer.

"Bingo…" Ryoma uttered and recognized it immediately as a third-party hacking to access his computer virtual files and passwords.

"Hacker?" Shizuka asked with a frown.

"Aa," Ryoma said with a slight smirk. "Let's give them some fun then."

"Fun?" Kai asked leaning forward as well to see Ryoma pull up screen after screen of number and codes that filled his screen. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up a fake virtual space for my hacker to go crazy in," Ryoma said with a smile. "And setting up a counter tracker to see where my hacker may be from."

"That's almost impossible unless you use the satellites and encrypt a way to the corresponding chip." Shizuka said.

"So that's what I'm doing."

"Isn't it illegal to do that?" Kai asked

"Technically unless your boy-genius there," Shizuka said with a shake of her head.

"Every system has its weaknesses and a quick hack in undetectable unless they pay real attention."Ryoma said easily as he entered a covered domain to connect himself with the government satellite through the Takeuchi satellite without informing his hacker. "And….it points to….."

"This building," Kai finished looking at the blinking dot on the map.

"But to where…" Ryoma asked no one in particular as he zoomed in to locate a better pinpoint.

"Upstairs," Shizuka said through a sigh. "We should've guessed immediately."

"Che!" Ryoma said as he deactivated the chip.

"Help at all?" Shizuka asked.

"Hack the school's system publically from the computer upstairs." Ryoma said with a smile. "Fill it with porn viruses that would lead back to the Elites."

"But what if the hacker is using his personal computer to catch you?" Shizuka asked as a second thought after heading to go do as he said.

"Oh I have that settled." Ryoma said with an insignificant wave. "The virtual space I made for him with give him the best viruses."

Shizuka nodded and went to settle that while Ryoma ordered Kai to do errands and slip upstairs to see who is panicking in his retaliation.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**The Elites**_

"Not funny," Oshitari fumed out as his hands danced across a computer trying to shut the moans and ads of the porn viruses filling the screens of every computer in the elite's library.

"I had no idea the little prince was so efficient in hacking." Fuji said working hard at blocking his own computer from a very annoying virus. As irritated as he was with it, he was impressed by how quickly the prince caught on.

In all the times Fuji hacked, he had been confident in never being caught so the Prince once more surprised him with assertive actions.

"Maybe he has a camera in his room." Yukimura said from where he sat trying to close the virus and pull out of the school's database.

"Oh hell…" Oshitari swore as he pressed cancel and straightened.

"Worse than we thought it was?" Fuji asked not glancing up from what he was dealing with.

"The freaking computer has it set to hack into the police satellite…" Oshitari said trying to cancel it. "If we cause national breeches in the country they'll have our heads."

"How did it get that way?" Yukimura asked clearing the system of the pornography.

"Maybe it's my fault." Oshitari said with a grimace. "I was trying to find out who the prince was through the police satellite in a hack and as well as the school's system from here."

"But it should've been intractable." Fuji reminded him.

"Yeah but the computer hard drives never truly erase anything all the way through." Oshitari sighed out. "I miscalculated the intelligence of the Prince and I believe he's now very dangerous."

"Meaning we can't take him out separately anymore," Fuji summed up.

"Kitten has earned nothing but my impressments with his little stunt." Yukimura said with a chuckle. "he is wonderfully talented and only makes me want to corner him tighter."

KNOCK KNOCK

All three stopped and looked at one another with question. They had purposely told all the other highborn kids to stay clear of the library and computer while they fixed a bug and the other Elites would've just walked in.

"One of our servants?" Oshitari suggested as he turned back to his coding.

"Come in," Yukimura ordered in his usual soft but stern voice.

"Shitsurei shimasu (Pardon Me)" Kai said with a bow after opening the door.

"What is kitten's butler doing here?" Yukimura asked with a smile after ushering him forward.

"I've come at my master's request to return something that belongs to you." Kai said offering a envelope to Fuji who was seated closest.

Fuji chuckled as he took it and his chip fell out with a short note from the prince.

It merely read: 'Amateur'

Yukimura laughed hard as Kai excused himself and Atobe walked in to see why the brat's butler was in their domain.

"I want to try my hands!" Yukimura said watching Kai disappear out into the hall.

"Well… at least I don't feel like the only idiot anymore." Atobe stated getting the gist of the problem from staring at the screens to the single note delivered.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Ryoma**_

"You do know this is another war," Shizuka said as Ryoma walked out of the bathroom with only his robe tied loosely on. "Having Kai send a note as a excuse to infiltrate and place bugs all over the Elite's space."

"You should know me Shizuka.' Ryoma said with a smile as he sat on his bed drying his damp hair.

"I aim where it hurts and-"Ryoma continued getting up to take a seat at his computer now with an accomplished smile. "It seems my hacker has a weakness."

Ryoma scrolled through the profile of Fuji Syuusuke slowly.

**XxX**

_**Mitsukawa Boarding Academy**_

_**Morning**_

"Kitten," Yukimura greeted with an amused smile.

Ryoma didn't answer as he glanced around trying to find a kitten in retaliation against such a name.

"You don't have to pretend so hard." Yukimura said with another smile.

"Was I pretending?" Ryoma asked

"Would you like to put the theory to the test?" Yukimura asked slightly narrowing his eyes at Ryoma.

Ryoma paused, feeling as if his hearing temporarily blanked and the mouth of the demon was just moving.

"So rumors are true that you can steal senses…" Ryoma said shaking the feeling off.

"Are you okay?" Shizuka asked Ryoma with a frown.

"He's getting his just desserts for messing with my master." Kirihara said with a smirk.

"But you keep pushing," Yukimura said softly now with no more amusement on his face.

"So what if I do?" Ryoma asked with challenged.

"Not scared?" Yukura said with another glance at him.

"Never," Ryoma said though his vision blurred slightly. "Not even as you manipulate me into losing my senses demon."

Yukimura laughed as he held up a hand to stop Kirihara from attacking anymore than he has.

"You charge recklessly forward!"

"I'm not one who knows how to retreat." Ryoma said with a smile. "I only move forward."

"A pawn in chess," Yukimura stated with a soft smile.

"To the queen's eyes but she had better be careful she knows who her king is." Ryoma replied easily.

"Are you implying you are my king?" Yukimura said through a laugh.

"I'm saying you just don't know it yet." Ryoma said dipping his head lower to indicate what he handed to Yukimura.

Yukimura clearly saw a photo of Tezuka and Sanada entering a room together.

**XxX**

_**Fuji**_

Irritation…

That was probably the best way he could describe the newest development. He had heard that Seiichi tried to take him on earlier that day but he had backed off due to personal matters as Kirihara stated. But what really irritated him was Tezuka was now encased in their prey's trap.

Tezuka was practically eating out of the prey's hands as they did homework together in the library. How Fuji ever thought people had a hard time getting along with Tezuka was now put to the test. He was even smiling a bit as they talked.

Fuji was positive the prince knew he was the one who tried to hack him because a single smirk off the boy's face told a million stories. It told the story: 'I know you did it and I'm taking what belongs to you as repayment.'

Oh yes…. This was WAR.

* * *

A/N: Okay people, plan was to complete Ryoma's attack and the Elites counters in this chapter but it seems it'll take much longer than that XD

It just means you'll all have to review to get the rest sooner rather than later.

**Character List-**

**(They aren't in alphabetical order and in parenthesis explains who they really are in the series or if they are my characters)**

**School Faculty**

**Ojii- **Owns the school and property. Has the final say in most decisions though he prefers not to be bothered.(OC)

**Takeda Tetsuo- **The Principal of Mitsukawa Academy who got the position due to his aunt's reference. He later secured Ishikawa's position within the school as well.(OC)

**Ishikawa Yuya- **The handsome, blunt, but serious Vice Principal of the academy. He takes his duties seriously but relaxes and is able to have fun as well.(OC)

**MIkiya Banda "Banji"- **The counselor for the first year students at the academy. He's a bit nosey and likes to give his opinion on matters whether it's wanted or not. (Yamabuki Coach)

**Itaru Saitou- **The counselor for the second year students at the academy. He likes to mentally challenge the students because he believes it's important. (UC-17 Mental Coach)

**Morikawa Kazuhiko- **The counselor for the third year students at the academy. He's a notorious flirt and has been known to be a womanizer towards the woman teacher though a stable relationship hasn't been noted.(OC)

**Kiraku Touzou- **A former professional tennis player, he now is content to teach physical health at the academy. Though his son goes to the academy, he rarely initiates contact unless he wants a tennis match or his group of friends terrorizes the students excessively. (One of the coaches for Midoriyama)

**Ryuzaki Sumire-** The math teacher at the academy who pushes her students and has a tendency to yell but cares deeply for her students. She's quite close to the owner of the school which allows her granddaughter to attend as a scholarship student. (Seigaku Coach)

**Sakaki Tarou- **The passionate music teacher who tends to be strict but elegantly polite. He usually stays out of the mess in the teacher's world but once in a while he'll interfere. (Hyoutei Coach)

**Watanabe Osamu- **The most laidback teacher, he teaches Science and tends to joke around more with students then teach. (Shitenhouji Coach)

**Hanamura Aoi- ** The History teacher normally is calm and professional but very proud at times. She states her opinion more often than not. (Josei Shonan Coach)

**Kurobe Yukio- **The Japanese teacher for the academy who normally prefers to watch and observe. (UC-17 Strategic Coach)

**Kimura Miho- **The English teacher at the academy. She likes Morikawa and is currently in competition with the Home Economics teacher to have him. (OC)

**Ayase Saki- **The psychology teacher at the academy. She's also Ryoma's homeroom teacher and loves playing with her students. She has a slight relationship with Fuji. (OC)

**Matsumoto Natsuki- **The Home Economics teacher at the academy. She's fond of her male students but aims for Morikawa and does her best to impress him. (OC)

**Takeda Kumiko- **The nurse for the academy but is retiring. (OC)

**Kaidoh- ****Family in charge of the Gardening for the school who live in a house on the academy grounds**

**Shibuki- **The mother of the family, she does most of the gardening(Actual name of Kaidoh's mom)

**Hozumi- **The father of the family, he does the heavier gardening that his wife can't do.( Actual name of Kaidoh's dad)

**Kaoru- **He attends the local high school outside of grounds but helps garden when he returns. He has a competitive relationship with Momoshiro at the academy and at the high school they attend. He tends to be quiet and broods a lot alone.( Seigaku Regular)

**Hazue- **The younger son in the family who doesn't help out since he hates gardening. (Actual name of Kaidoh's mom)

**Kawamura****- Family in charge of Cooking for the school who live in a house on the academy grounds**

**Hiko- **The father of the family and is the head cook of the cafeteria for the school. He controls nearly twenty cooks to make meals for everyone in the entire academy. (Though he actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Takashi- **He attends the local high school with Momoshiro and Kaidoh. He helps his father out in the kitchen when he's home by making the sushi or helping out wherever else he can.(Seigaku Regular)

**Naru- **The youngest of the Kawamura family; She attends the local middle school outside the academy grounds but she strives to enter the academy as a scholarship student. (Though she actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Momoshiro-**** Family in charge of Cleaning and ground keeping for the school that live in a house on the academy grounds**

**Aya-**The main housekeeper in the academy, She controls nearly eighty maids to make sure the academy runs smoothly. (Though she actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Masaya-** The Groundkeeper for the academy, he and his team of twenty makes sure the wildlife and grounds are kept safe for the Ojii (Though he actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Takeshi- **He attends the local high school and helps his mother and father whenever he can. He's currently dating Niou's maid An and has a serious rivalry with Kaidoh. He generally is easy-going and loud to a fault at times and stubborn other times.(Seigaku Regular)

**Keiji-** The enthusiastic younger brother of Momo-senpai who helps out when needed. (Though he actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Rie- **The bright younger sister who helps out when needed. (Though she actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Noted Family of Students:**

**Atobe**

**Keiji-** Prideful at times, he's not proud of his son. He's usually kept busy running the company and making lots of trips overseas for business deals and expansion purposes. (Though he actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Sakura-** A top-notch hostess for her husband, she stands strong beside him in everything. She tends to leave with her husband on his trips, thus leaving Keigo in the care of servants and boarding schools most of the time. (Though she actually exists, this is a made-up name)

**Takeuchi (Echizen)**

**Takahiro- **Stern and intelligent, he is the driving force of the company. Though he spends a lot of the time working, he enjoys his family and embraces his son-in-law who married into the family. He has a lot of expectations in Ryoma and constantly tells Rinko that Ryoma is like a reflection of himself in the business field.(OC- I find I always give him the same name because it's easier on me)

**Nanjiroh- **Laidback and light-hearted, he gave up his professional tennis career to marry and help is father-in-law run the company when Takahiro suffers a minor heart attack from overwork and stress. His sons are raised to inherit the company and like him, enjoy tennis though both won't admit it. (Ryoma's Father)

**Rinko-** Strong willed and mouthy at times, Rinko is as she always states; A lady first and foremost. She tends to dabble into her children life as a result of her strong mother instinct but usually spends time with her husband and doing attorney work. (Ryoma's Mom)

**Ryoga- **Currently the heir to the Takeuchi Company, at twenty one he is happily married and working as the front face of the company and negotiator. Not nearly as talented in the business field as his brother, he is proud of his womanizing skills he inherited from his father. (Ryoma's adopted brother)

**Suri-** Pretty and established, Suri is a passionate interior decorator and Ryoga's wife. She currently occupies the majority of her husband's day. (OC)

**Ryoma**- Though he is the real force behind Takeuchi corporations, he prefers to be in the background. Due to too much stress taking its toll on him, his family teams up to send him to school to relax a little more.(Main character)

**Noted Students**

**Akutagawa Jirou- **Though he tends to sleep a lot when he's not enthusiastic, he is a scholarship student who works in the café. (Hyoutei Regular)

**Chitose Senri- **Though he is quite humble, he finds Ryoma very interesting and gives his opinion freely whether Ryoma wants it or not. He works at the tutoring center where he tutors students who need help.(Shitenhouji Regular)

**Ibu Shinji-**Quiet and always seemingly brooding, He works in the library where Ryoma likes to bother him.(Fudomine Regular)

**Inui Sadaharu-** Knownto many as "Data" he is a research student at the university who has special access to the labs. (Seigaku Regular)

**Kamio Akira- **Though he is arrogant and quick tempered; He is quick and efficient in the café where he works to make up for Jirou's tendency to disappear and sleep. (Fudomine Regular)

**Kitazono Kotona- **The Vice-President of the student council, she tends to size people up and is stubborn to a fault. She finds an interest in Ryoma but is in love with the President. (Tsubakigawa gakuen Manager)

**Masashi Mitsuki- **A serious student council member and Kotona's friend. She spends a lot of time refining her skills and making connections for herself when she's not studying or doing duties. (OC)

**Nakahara Shinta- **Mature and intelligent; Shinta is the only other first year in Ryoma's class. He has a mutual respect for Ryoma and strives to be more like him. (OC)

**Ootori Choutarou- **Quiet and thoughtful, he tends to read a lot and work in the garden with the Kaidoh's (Hyoutei regular)

**Osakada Tomoka- **Loud and slightly on the obnoxious side, she actually is pretty book smart and tends to follow Ryoma around when she sees him like a lovesick pup. (Ryoma's Fan Girl Seigaku)

**Ryuzaki Sakuno- **Extremely shy and nervous around Ryoma, she tends to stutter a lot around him. A average student, she is the granddaughter of the math teacher. (Ryoma's Fan Girl 2 Seigaku)

**Saeki Kojirou- **Nice and easy-going, Saeki is Fuji's childhood friend who entered the academy through hard work (Rokakku Regular)

**Sengoku Kiyosumi-**Extremely lucky and charismatic, He is the Student Body Secretary. (Yamabuki Regular)

**Shishido Ryou- **Easily pissed, He tends to back talk everyone though he works at the café. (Hyoutei Regular)

**Tooyama Kintarou- **Enthusiastic first year who can't help but get excited every time he meets Ryoma. (Shitenhouji Super Rookie)

**Yanagi Renji-**Referred to as "Master" by the majority of the student, people can't figure out why he'd rather be a researcher with his childhood friend rather than a elite since he's close with quite a few of them.(Rikkaidai Regular)

**The Elites**

**Atobe Keigo- **"King"- Arrogant and flashy, He is the only son to a high-income family. He tends to exert his influence above others. He bows out gracefully after the latest loss with Ryoma, whom he calls, "Brat."

**Fuji Syuusuke –**"Tensai"- A mystery to many. He has mastered hacking and finds pleasure in knowing everyone's business who fits his category of interesting. He refers to Ryoma as "Prince" since that's how he perceives Ryoma to carry himself.

**Kiraku Yasuyuki- **"Kaichou"- Cranky at times, he takes pride in being the Student Body President. From a high-income family, he's used to being treated with respect and feared. He's the only other Elite to refer to Ryoma as "Brat".

**Niou Masuharu- **"Trickster"- Though he doesn't come from a high-income family like some of the elites, his family has lots of connections in politics. He tends to get bored easily and fool the Elites with tricks and ploys. Ryoma is the first to dupe him at his own game and is given the nickname "Bocchan" from Niou.

**Oshitari Yuushi- **"Technician"- Manipulative and quiet, Oshitari tends to use his family's political influence to get information on things. He refers to Ryoma as "Prince" as Fuji does.

**Sanada Genichirou-"**Emperor"- Strict and honorable, he dislikes Ryoma bratty attitude and his appearance into their lives. He's from old blood which sets him above others but he doesn't flaunt it. He refers to Ryoma as "Echizen" with no fancy name as his fellow friends have named him.

**Shiraishi Kuranosuke- **"Bible"- Mildly interested in Ryoma though he gets easily distracted with many other things. He tends to calculate and plan his attack on anything in life with as little steps as possible. He's planning to major in business and continue his family's business. He fondly calls Ryoma "Bocchan" and wants a match personally with Ryoma.

**Tezuka Kunimitsu- **"Buchou"- The only other person to call Ryoma by "Echizen", he doesn't seem to mind as much as the others about Ryoma's existence. He conducts himself accordingly and with dignity as he is the Police chief's grandson.

**Yagyuu Hiroshi- **"Gentleman"- Polite and always has a helpful hand to those in need, he lives up to his nickname. He refers to Ryoma as "Bocchan" since Ryoma reminds him of a little master.

**Yukimura Seiichi- **"Child of God"- Mysterious and always on the lookout for something to spice his school life, He's the only one to call Ryoma "Kitten". A nickname that bothers his lover and the other Elites since it's so intimate. Though his family is influential in the business and political world, he tends to use his own means and not his connections to find out what he wants to learn.

**The "Servants"**

**Atobe**

**Aya- Atobe's head maid**

**Kabaji- Atobe's butler and close friend**

**Hiyoshi- Atobe's Underbutler**

**Echizen (Takeuchi) **

**Nakahara Shizuka- Serves Ryoma currently and performs any kind of task she is given without question. She rests her full trust in Ryoma. She carries herself with pride and walks with dignity and sometimes comes off as a "all business" woman.**

**Sakamoto Kai- Grew up with Ryoma and serves him for now as his butler. He has quite an ego and though he's blunt and good-looking; he seems to have a deeper past.**

**Fuji **

**Haru- Fuji's attendant**

**Kiraku**

**Mori- Kiraku's maid**

**Takumi- Kiraku's butler**

**Niou**

**An- Niou's maid and Momoshiro's girlfriend**

**Oshitari**

**Mai- Oshitari's maid**

**Kamui- Oshitari's butler**

**Sanada**

**Sano- Sanada's butler**

**Shiraishi**

**Kyoko- Shiraishi's maid**

**Tezuka**

**Kyousuke- Tezuka's attendant**

**Yagyuu**

**Mina- Yagyuu's maid**

**Yukimura**

**Kirihara Akaya- Yukimura's butler**


End file.
